My First Start

General Pitching Topics
#1

I started my first Junior Varsity game last thursday.

I did alright. We only played 5 Innings because of the mercy rule.

I started out throwing heat. I was’nt finding the strike zone though. The first two innings my arm was hurting terrible and i had 6 walks. I didn’t give up any runs i was happy that i got out of the jams.

I rubbed some icy hot from finger tips to elbow. We had a long 6 run inning so i had time to recover, my arm felt great for the rest of the game and i made some adjustments and pitched great.

I only pitched 4 innings because we were up 16-0 after 4 so we put in all our subs.

Anyway the statline was 2-3 with a Walk. (Struckout, single, walk, triple) 3 RBIs.

Pitching 4 IP. 0 Runs 1 Hit, 7 BB, 9 K’s

Any advice on if i struggle in the beginnning because i can guarantee i get out of those jams everytime you know?

We won 18-0

#2

Hey man sounds like a great outing…only thing you need to worry about are those walks. Try and focus on getting first pitch strikes and and getting the first batter of each inning out. Also try and not focus on throwing hard…I knw every pitcher wants too myself insluded but movement and location is much more important

#3

The best way to get out of a jam is not to get into one in the first place.
Location…in my day, when I pitched, we called it “control”, the ability to put the ball where you wanted it to go. That is probably the most important thing, even more so than sheer speed—after all, who wants to be known as “the pitcher had electric stuff but couldn’t find the plate”? If you get that first pitch in there for strike one, which is indeed the most important pitch, you’re ahead of the game. (And strike three isn’t bad either.) :slight_smile: 8)

#4

don’t put icy hot on your hands man!

#5

Worry about those walks. I am sure that you will have some confidence on the mound knowing that your team can put up 18 runs in 5 innings. Don’t try to pitch a no hitter… worry about staying in the zone. I am not saying to throw 3 strikes in a row right down the middle. You can still work the batter with high fastballs and outside breaking balls, just make sure to work ahead. Walks are a pitchers worst enemy, let them put the ball in play. Keep up the good work, long fly balls are better than free passes.

#6

lemme rephrase that. I didn’t actually put icyhot on my hands… that would be to much for me haha. It was more of the elbow all the way up to the shoulder . haha

#7

Walks kill. It’s the truth.

They up your pitch count, they put runners on base, they move runners that are already on base, and they don’t have to work for it. You have to make certain that they earn it, sometimes a base hit can be just a good piece of hitting but a walk is just your fault, I mean sometimes you get a trashy umpire but usually it’s your fault.

It’s apparent to me that you have good stuff and you are already good at getting people out.

Besides the obvious putting runners on base you also have to face an extra batter that you might not have had to, you throw more pitches, you fatigue faster, you start throwing lollipops, you get hit, you give up runs, you get pulled out of the game and you get the loss or the no decision.

The above scenario doesn’t always happen but it most certainly can. I have some experience with pitchers that cannot throw strikes and its obnoxious and unbearable in the field and games get out of hand quick when a pitcher can’t throw strikes.

That’s the other thing, walks put the fielders to sleep. They get sick and tired of it and they don’t get involved, they lose focus and then when the ball is hit to them they don’t make the play, walks in a large amount can also lead to more errors.

#8

Pustulio said, “The above scenario doesn’t always happen but it most certainly can.” This is only partly true. It happens more often than one would like, particularly in the major leagues. It may happen in the first inning, or it may happen in the fifth—a pitcher suddenly can’t find the plate to save himself, and he ends up walking the ballpark, as the saying goes. Yes indeed, bases on balls are the curse of the nation; they’re the reason managers get gray or tear their hair out by the roots or develop a raging case of high blood pressure.
There’s only one way to deal with this: don’t walk the batter. If you can’t
strike him out, make him put the ball in play. They call it “pitching to contact” these days; Ed Lopat described it as “Get the ball over the plate and make the batter hit it. Make him go after YOUR pitch, what you WANT him to hit.” And that means you have to know the opposing hitters, their strengths and their weaknesses, and pitch accordingly.