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Being Behind in the Count

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Moderator: Gary Leland

by Gary Leland » Fri May 23, 2014 7:45 am

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Being Behind in the Count or Game as a Pitcher: Sinking Ship or Floating Boat?
Written By Shannon Murray

It’s the top of the fourth inning and your team is losing by one run. There are runners on the bases (one from a base hit and one from a walk you threw). The count on the current batter is 2 balls and one strike. As a pitcher, what is going through your mind? It might be something along the lines of “Great, I’m a sinking ship just waiting to go under if I don’t get this next batter.” You feel the pressure. You just want to get out of this inning so your team can get some runs behind you. Everyone is counting on you to get this out here. So why is it so hard for you to move past the fact that you are behind not only in the count, but also the game? At this moment in the game, it sounds like you are allowing your ship to sink instead of keeping your pitching boat afloat.

Every pitcher understands the pressure felt from being behind. It’s a matter of how you change the direction your count is heading and how you are going to make adjustments here that will make the difference. There are many ways pitchers can get themselves out of this kind of jam. However, each pitcher is different so you need to discover what method is best for you. What it essentially comes down to is your mental toughness and what style of a pitcher you are. Ultimately, you need to find a way to move past each ball you throw or walk drawn.
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Gary Leland
 
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Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2011 7:46 pm
Location: Dallas, Texas

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