Can't pitch to lefties

#1

Yesterday in my game I was striking out all the righties, but this team had 5 lefties in the lineup and I struggled facing them. I threw 2 strikes then 3-4 straight balls. My fast ball tails a lot. It’s almost like a slider from a left handed pitcher. I throw around 75-79 consistent in the 75-76. Also I’m a right handed pitcher if ur wondering. I’m a freshman in highschool…

I throw 2Seam, Curve, Slider and Change I’m not sure which I should throw to the lefties or how to throw to the lefts cuz I’m always missing outside or low and in. What do you suggest

#2

Where were you missing with what pitches and what adjustments did your catcher make to where the balls were coming in?
It may also be an experience issu, do you face any lefties regularily?

#3

[quote=“spghbaseballdad”]Where were you missing with what pitches and what adjustments did your catcher make to where the balls were coming in?
It may also be an experience issu, do you face any lefties regularily?[/quote]

I mostly throw to righties, only that team had 5 lefties in their lineup, usually 1 or two I face.
I was missing outside about 2-3 inches every pitch outside and some low and in that almost hit that batter but it’s always in the dirt. I get 0-2 then I can’t finish with my fast ball, I’ll throw a curveball but my curve is like a slurve and most of the time it will hit the batter, I think I should throw a 12-6 curveball just get used to throwing it, what advise do you have?

#4

It’s different for a couple of reasons.
If you are not accustomed to throwing your curve to a lefty, it takes some reps to get comfortable. My guess is you need to experiment with where you want it to land, and that depends on the break of the ball. A ball that breaks late can be effective landing in a mitt set up farther towards the middle than you otherwise would. It depends on the action of your ball.
A slurve may need a different release point than you have developed for a right handed hitter, start it more outside to the lefty and let it move in on its own from farther out.
A change or two seam fastball is usually the best choice to keep the ball away from their hands, assuming they run back to your arm side.
It is also just getting a chance to get your release points acclimated to a left handed batter.

#5

I tended to throw lefties hard on the corners and then soft away. So a sequence might look like FB in, FB away, CH away, FB in… I honestly didn’t really show my CB much to lefties – just all fastballs and change ups to keep the slower stuff off the inside part of the plate.

#6

This was a problem I didn’t have in my playing days. I was a righthander—one of those exasperating, infuriating creatures called a sidearmer, and I used the crossfire almost all the time. I found that it didn’t make any difference whether I was pitching to righthanded batters or lefties; they just couldn’t pick up my pitches because of my delivery. I threw a hard slider, a knuckle-curve, several different changeups (my favorite was the “Bugs Bunny” change), a slip-pitch (this was the slider thrown with a knuckleball grip), a good curveball, and I mixed them up. I remembered one thing my wise and wonderful pitching coach had told me: “Move the ball around—high, low, inside, outside, work the corners, change speeds, mix up your pitches, and stay away from the middle of the plate.” And that crossfire—it was such a kick to see the batters swing and miss and lose their balance and fall over backward on the tush with their arms and legs up in the air! :baseballpitcher: