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This is going to be more of a rant, I apologize in advance. The more softball I watch, at every level from collegiate ball down to 10u travel ball, the more I see 0-2 hits being given up over and over again. I just don’t quite understand this phenomenon. How does this happen? These are the possibilities I have come up with, while I’m sure there are more…these seem to be the most common that I have seen. Don’t get me wrong, I gave up my own fair share of 0-2 hits as a pitcher, and sometimes (though rarely!) a hitter just gets a good piece of a really bad pitch. You scratch you head, wonder how they just got that ridiculous bloop hit by golfing a pitch 4 inches off of the plate and one inch off of the ground. In that case we tip our hats and move onto the next batter. This scenario is the ONLY scenario where giving up an 0-2 is acceptable.
1. Pitchers become over confident.
I LOVE confident pitchers, those pitchers that just command the circle and the strike zone. Occasionally, a pitcher will become over confident in their pitches. For example, throwing two curve balls in a row, getting a called strike and a swinging strike, a pitcher will want to throw a third. This is one of the most common ways a pitcher will give up those hits. Just because something is working does not mean we throw it over and over again. We become PREDICTABLE when we do this. A hitters job is to learn your tendencies as a pitcher, just as it is your job to learn the hitters tendencies. By giving a hitter three of the same pitch in a row, by the third time, they’ll usually have you figured out enough to at least get a decent piece of the ball. Trust your pitches, just because one is spot on today does not mean the other pitches you throw will not be just as effective in the right situations.
2. Pitchers become lazy.
THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. Yet…it happens often. A pitcher will go up 0-2 and lose focus. We get complacent and believe that because we have the advantage of an 0-2 count with a batter we already have the at bat won. You CANNOT take pitches off. We talk about this all of the time. If you’re playing 3rd base and lose focus for one pitch what happens? Usually, the ball isn’t hit to you and it’s not a huge deal (I am not telling you to take pitches off while playing other positions!!). If you take a pitch off while pitching and lose focus, most of the time you are going to throw a “hitable” pitch. We often throw hitable pitches while ahead in the count because we relax due to the fact that we are ahead. You must finish the at bat and close the door before taking a breath and refocusing in between batters.
3. Pitchers do not think like pitchers.
DO NOT THROW A HTTABLE PITCH. So many times I see pitchers throw a ball over the plate when they are ahead because they want to “throw a strike.” When we are ahead in the count we want to throw believable balls (AKA balls that look like strikes). Batters are on the defensive and will swing at anything that looks close to save their at bat. By throwing off the plate to the outside of the hitter, they may swing at a ball to “protect” their at bat which in reality is barely a pitch they can get their bat on.
4. Pitchers forget how hitters think.
Think about while you are at the plate, how are you taught to think while you are hitting with an 0-2 count? That you better be swinging at anything and everything that could even be close to being called a strike and at least get a piece to keep yourself alive. If you think like this, 99% of HITTERS think like this. Why would you give a hitter who is on the defensive and swinging at anything close something good to hit?!!!?!
1. Pitchers become over confident.
I LOVE confident pitchers, those pitchers that just command the circle and the strike zone. Occasionally, a pitcher will become over confident in their pitches. For example, throwing two curve balls in a row, getting a called strike and a swinging strike, a pitcher will want to throw a third. This is one of the most common ways a pitcher will give up those hits. Just because something is working does not mean we throw it over and over again. We become PREDICTABLE when we do this. A hitters job is to learn your tendencies as a pitcher, just as it is your job to learn the hitters tendencies. By giving a hitter three of the same pitch in a row, by the third time, they’ll usually have you figured out enough to at least get a decent piece of the ball. Trust your pitches, just because one is spot on today does not mean the other pitches you throw will not be just as effective in the right situations.
2. Pitchers become lazy.
THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. Yet…it happens often. A pitcher will go up 0-2 and lose focus. We get complacent and believe that because we have the advantage of an 0-2 count with a batter we already have the at bat won. You CANNOT take pitches off. We talk about this all of the time. If you’re playing 3rd base and lose focus for one pitch what happens? Usually, the ball isn’t hit to you and it’s not a huge deal (I am not telling you to take pitches off while playing other positions!!). If you take a pitch off while pitching and lose focus, most of the time you are going to throw a “hitable” pitch. We often throw hitable pitches while ahead in the count because we relax due to the fact that we are ahead. You must finish the at bat and close the door before taking a breath and refocusing in between batters.
3. Pitchers do not think like pitchers.
DO NOT THROW A HTTABLE PITCH. So many times I see pitchers throw a ball over the plate when they are ahead because they want to “throw a strike.” When we are ahead in the count we want to throw believable balls (AKA balls that look like strikes). Batters are on the defensive and will swing at anything that looks close to save their at bat. By throwing off the plate to the outside of the hitter, they may swing at a ball to “protect” their at bat which in reality is barely a pitch they can get their bat on.
4. Pitchers forget how hitters think.
Think about while you are at the plate, how are you taught to think while you are hitting with an 0-2 count? That you better be swinging at anything and everything that could even be close to being called a strike and at least get a piece to keep yourself alive. If you think like this, 99% of HITTERS think like this. Why would you give a hitter who is on the defensive and swinging at anything close something good to hit?!!!?!