How to Pitch Out of the Stretch

Clubhouse Gas Casey: Bill thank you so much for joining us today. Bill: Glad to be here. Casey: First off before we get started I want to talk about a story that you just told me. Now was anybody given instruction you want to know what their credentials are. Why should I listen to this person? You were telling me that when you were in the Miners you got some instruction from a very unlikely person. I guess it’s not unlikely to think about it but tell the story that you told me? Bill: I was real fortunate to play with Chicago Cubs organization from 86 to 93 and in 1988 and 89 an instructional league I had the opportunity to work with Greg Maddux. He taught me a lot of the intangibles of the game as well as Jim Cobren the Minor League Pitching Coordinator. Casey: So they got Maddux out there teaching the younger players and probably the same age at that time. Bill: Absolutely, Rick— Greg Maddux and various others that would come down and help out the young farm hands. Casey: And you guys would listen to Maddux even at that you knew this guy knew what he’s talking about. Bill: We knew that he was very special. He’s a linebacker in about a 5”8’ frame and really a lot of fun to be around very aggressive and extremely knowledgeable. Casey: And understands how to pitch. Bill: Absolutely. Casey: Today you’re going to take us through the fundamentals of pitching out of the stretch. Bill: Absolutely. Casey: I’m going to get out of your way. I’m just going to step back and you do your thing. Bill: Okay. We’re going to talk about the stretch today, one of the most important things with pitching on a stretch is you want to make sure you have the ball in your hand at all times. If you have ball in your glove and the runner takes off then it takes extra time to take the ball out of the glove the runner and if he’s going to second or 3rd base. Now when we approach the pitching rubber we want to have the ball in the hand. To start of with the younger ball players we want to make sure we straddle the pitching rubber. Weights on the balls of the feet and we want to look over at first base and make sure our first basement is actually looking at them so we don’t hit him in the head. We also take a look at the runner so that’s done real quickly. We’re going to go ahead and toe the pitching rubber our foot is up next to the pitching rubber not half on and half off because in a minute we’re going to have to come set and either throw over or throw to the plate. Once we start off here you develop your own style, you are either standing up with a glove here or you’re bending down with your eyes looking through the target. This is called the preliminary set position. When you’re here, you can actually take a peek over to first base. When you come and get ready to come to the set position. You want take a peak over to first base, I call it the visual snapshot so you can go ahead and kind of visualize where you’re going to throw the ball and where the first basement target is. I’m now on a set position. I have to come to a complete stop right here. Once I get to this point I can either step off and throw over driving my nose right through the target and is following with a step or two or once I come set. I can step off and bring my hand down. I cannot fake a throw to first base. That’s the only base that you cannot fake a throw to or it will be a block. So again, we straddle, this is called preliminary set. We’re going to develop our own style in the preset or preliminary set and then we come set. We come to a complete stop. From this point we can only move the head. The biggest or the number one block is when the knee moves or when the shoulders move when we look over to first base so we want to make sure we stay completely still. From this point we pick up our knee our hands in line with the back foot. We separate our hands; lower body goes to the plate and we throw and follow through and getting a very good fielding position in case the ball comes back to us. Casey: So you can move your shoulders, you can turn and you can look all the way up until the moment that you set. Bill: Absolutely. Casey: Even as you’re coming set you can look and then once you’re set that’s it. Bill: Might you seen as a key at moving those shoulders on the way up to the set position but correct, when you get to the set position you can only move your head. Casey: Now as far as delivering a pitch to the play it goes, now you’ve got a kid who has never had a runner lead off. He’s good pitcher but he’s been in a wind up for 4 years so that’s the only way he knows how to pitch. How do you transfer the mechanics of pitching for that kid to the stretch position? Bill: It’s actually going to be a lot easier Casey when you come to the set position there’s little movement with the body and it’s much easier to get balanced. Now, I also want to emphasize that 99% on the concentration should be on the throwing strikes, throwing to the target making sure that you’re really concentrated on throwing strikes. If we worry too much about holding runners on next thing we know there’s a runner on third that we’ve already walked two more batters. Casey: So I have seen it before, kids worried about the runner at first, they walk the next 2 guys and then that guy has moved a third because of the throw is over. Bill: Yes and end up having a Mary-go-Round situation now the coaches don’t like it. Casey: The goal being I want to keep that runner as close as possible but in the end I’m just trying to not necessarily pick him off but give him a catch or a shot. Bill: A great pitching coach told me one time he said a pick off move is used to keep the runner close also a pick off move is used to make the runner think that you’re thinking about him but you’re total focus is on throwing strikes. Casey: Thank you so much speaking of Greg Maddux, and we’ll do another show. Greg Maddux, I have noticed doesn’t really pay much attention to the runners on base but he’s got a guy on first, he just concentrates on getting the batter out. I was watching this year, I was noticing the guys the second, and Greg never looked at him and he didn’t care and sure enough that this guy popped out and that was the end of the inning and it was over with. So it just goes to show pitches the guy at the plate concentrate on the runner but your main focus needs to be on getting the guy out. Bill: Yes sir. Casey: These kids are not Greg Maddux, but it just goes to show that the best of the world does it that way so I’m not going to hurt your 12 year old to do it that way also. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Bill: Thank you for having me Casey. Casey: That’s going to do it for us today. We’ll see you right back here tomorrow for another great edition of Clubhouse Gas.