I’ve been having flashbacks recently…back some 20 years ago, to sitting on a tarp at Hayden Field, Xavier University. Listening to a pitching coach asking a very simple question: ”What is the best pitch in baseball?”
After a few minutes of guessing incorrectly he had to give us the answer.
”Strike One,” he said.
Oh so simple, but yet so difficult all at the same time. The coach’s name was Bill Long, and he had a 10-year major league career, with his claim to fame being ending Roger Clemens’ 14-game winning streak to begin the 1986 season, beating him in Fenway Park. So, having pitching “street cred,” I’d like to be able to tell you that with that wisdom we made a miraculous run to Omaha and it was a glorious season…but I would be lying.
That doesn’t mean that the wisdom wasn’t genuine, and true. And to my amazement over the last week I’ve been hearing that stat on MASN, FOX, and ESPN. In this stat-crazed world that we live in, the networks have finally figured out the most important one, as far as pitching goes. And we’ve seen two very good examples of it just in this past week. On Memorial Day, Jason Hammel was 17 for 18 at one point – 17 first pitch strikes in 18 batters – and he threw an outstanding game and only gave up one run. And last Thursday, Freddy Garcia was practically perfect in shutting out the Nationals.
Have we stumbled upon some mysterious key that will mean the O’s will go undefeated for the rest of the season? Let’s not get carried away. This doesn’t mean throw the ball right down the middle of the plate and the hitters are contractually obligated to watch it. Trust me, that is not going to happen.
If you want an even better example, look at what happens when a pitcher doesn’t get ahead at the beginning of an at bat. Just a few days ago, the city was buzzing over Kevin Gausman’s second major league start, against the same Washington Nationals. He consistently fell behind in the count, and had to try and come back with fastballs. Even if the fastballs are 95 MPH and above, if it’s over the plate, major league hitters will hit it. Actually they will tag it…..often…..and hard.
So this isn’t a big secret, it isn’t insider trading, but it is something to watch for. If we want to compare our team to the best teams in the league, it starts where it’s always started: on the pitching rubber.
