Greetings from the Jersey Shore! I am staying beachfront on Ocean City, NJ this week with my freakishly large extended family. A 40 year tradition that rejuvenates the well being moving forward. As I am in vacation mode, lets keep this light today. Toned down a bit on the intensity of the other blog posts and focus on what brings pitchers both a sigh of relief and a boost of confidence. Getting Outs on Bad Sliders. Of course, it may be better to be lucky than good. However, sometimes you are better than you think.
Getting Outs on Bad Sliders
Efficiently Off-Kilter
Sometimes all you need is enough of a change of speed when the hitter is geared to hit the fastball in order to get him out. The Slider may be elevated and flat, as a result of rushing your delivery and not following the BIG 3. A pitch for sure that may force you to cringe the second it leaves your hand. Nonetheless, it’s mind blowing when it works in your favor.
Say the hitter is looking for a 90MPH heater and may even cheat to get to it. That is what they do. Even a bad Slider at 85MPH is just enough to get him out in front and look foolish. This especially works against undisciplined hitters. As the pitch was elevated, he could have sworn he was going to hit it to the moon….as always, he had another thing coming.
Getting Outs on Bad Sliders
Not So Sweet Spot
No matter how bad you throw it, hitters can rarely protect against movement. You may think that you threw a hanger that will change the game in one swing. Devastating for sure! In the case of Righty vs Righty, you could have a sufficient amount of late movement on the Slider, just enough to miss the barrel and the hitter gets it off the end of the bat. YOU WIN!
Once the hitter begins his swing going forward, there is not much he can do to react to the differential from which he saw a split second ago. Thus, why the best fail 70% of the time.
Getting Outs on Bad Sliders
WAKE UP, BRO!!!
Obviously, you won’t get away with making bad pitches up in the zone for long. Therefore, use them as a recognition that an adjustment has to be made. When you get a gift from the hitter, clearly, you have to be better next time around. In the case of the change of speed listed above, when a bad Slider works as a changeup early in the count, come back to your “A” Slider. Make the adjustment to Find it and Throw it Correctly.
When a good hitter knows that you got away with one against him, he may be inclined to think you will return to the fastball. Throw the sharp, late breaking Slider which has given you a great deal of success, and further bury his psyche. Even mistake pitches can keep you ahead of your counterpart.
OK, I admit, you just can never turn off the intensity when it comes to the Cat & Mouse game between pitcher and hitter. Because it is so Damn Much Fun to Win These Battles. Never Give In, Never Give Up, and Let the Hitter Know Who is In Charge!!!! Have a great week and…
Keep Dominating!!!
About the Author
Brad Kirsch is the Owner/Creator of Slider Domination. He is a former professional pitcher who blogs about all things Pitching. Brad has also authored the AudioBook, 7 Reasons Why YOU Should Throw a Slider. If you haven’t done so already, you can Download the AudioBook Here
