Right Down the @!#$%! Pike

#1

This is what happens when you give a batter a pitch right down the pike!

This is my only quote that I put up in every bullpen that I’ve worked.

Never give a batter more than what your willing to give up- never.

#2

And this is what Ed Lopat told me at the very beginning, when he was introducing me to strategic pitching. He put it this way: “Figure out what the batter is looking for—AND DON’T GIVE IT TO HIM.” He said, “Stay away from the middle of the plate, or middle-in, because batters are looking for such a pitch.” He told me about working the corners, throwing strikes or what looked like strikes, moving the ball in, out, high, low, everywhere BUT the middle of the plate. Believe me, I followed his advice, and I won a lot of games and rescued a lot of games and never threw a gopher ball. What a great feeling!

#3

You NEVER gave up a home run??? My god go play the lottery or something with that luck.

#4

Oh, I might give up a couple of hits—stupid singles—but no walks, and no gopher balls. I had a murderous slider and a devastating knuckle-curve, I built my arsenal around those two pitches, and I had the control and command of all of them. I also had an incredible pitching coach who showed me how to make the most of what I had and could do. Ever use the crossfire with any of them? Try it, you’ll love what it does to the opposing batters’ averages—and their egos. No, there was no luck involved. Just good pitching and a solid defense—that’s what wins games and rescues games and gives one a minuscule earned run average.