The Hitter Thinks You’re Crazy
It helps if the hitter thinks you’re a little crazy. Don’t worry, it’s a good thing. Most of the pitchers I played with had interesting personalities and many of them displayed their personalities on the mound. I’m giving you the permission to be yourself on the mound (within reason) of course. Anything you can do that gets hitters thinking is an advantage for you, the pitcher. Why? Because if a hitter begins to think, he won’t rely on his instincts and muscle memory; he’ll begin to second guess himself.
I remember a game in college where I had total control of all three pitches I threw (fastball, curve, change). Confidence was high, and I was mowing down hitters. The middle of their lineup was tough so I thought I’d experiment and tell a couple of the hitters what I was going to throw them the next pitch. I got a couple blank stares in return. One hitter got frustrated with my strategy (hindsight it probably wasn’t the best sportsmanship), but it threw them off their game and I recorded two outs with the two hitters I used the strategy on.
Here are some mildly crazy and some not-so-crazy things you might try that will start a hitter thinking.
1. Grow a beard and dye it like Brian Wilson of the S.F. Giants.
2. Constantly change the grip in your glove before moving into your pitching motion – even if you’re not changing your grip.
3. Shake off your catcher repeatedly until the hitter calls time out.
4. Smile.
5. Talk to yourself, sometime audibly to the hitter.
Whatever your personality is, let it come out on the mound. Add something crazy (or different) to your routine and the thinking will begin on the part of your opponents. However, I must say it will help your image if you combine skill with a little crazy. I’m not sure Brian Wilson and his pet beard would have the same mystique if he was a horrible pitcher. Let Dan and I help you with the skill part of your game, you can work on the “flavor” part you bring to the mound. This week you’ll find 15% off all our products. The best deal then of course is our 5+ hour DVD Series. Just type in the words 15off in the coupon box and you’ll save over $10 on that product.
