Using a Hitter’s Approach Against Him

It’s the third game of a three-game series. The batter has shown the tendency to have an inside-out approach and to try to take the ball to the opposite field, especially with two strikes. There’s a runner on 2nd, nobody out, 5-hitter at the plate. The offense is ahead by 1 in the bottom of the 7th inning. The hitter takes two big swings on breaking balls. The first one he swings and misses. The second he lines foul down the left field line. It’s now 1-2 after a fastball misses above the zone. The pitcher, who is a hard thrower, knows that he doesn’t want to get beaten by a ball in the gap that will set up a big inning.   

The Play:   

The pitcher decides that the best way to pitch the hitter is to stay away from him. He throws a 1-2 fastball on the outer half. The hitter takes a good swing at it and hits it hard to the second baseman on one hop.   

The Outcome:   

The second baseman fields it and throws it to first for the out. The runner from second advances to third base on the play. The next hitter comes up and with a 1-1 count, hits a fly ball to medium-deep left field on a breaking ball and the runner tags and scores, extending the lead.   

What Went Wrong?  

In this situation, the offense scoring the run is not surprising, given the position of the runner and situation to begin with. What we want to consider is whether the pitcher became too focused on the possibility of being beaten by one hitter. . However almost every hitter is going to be able to hit an outside fastball in this situation, especially if they are taking an opposite field approach to advance a runner.   

When a pitcher is throwing to a guy in a situation like this, he needs to consider the hitter’s plan. If the hitter is looking to go the other way, it might not matter if he has pop to the pull side. If he’s looking for something away, he’ll likely have a hard time catching up to an inside pitch because his approach won’t allow it. He also might be willing to go fishing at off-speed off the plate away because he’s so focused on going the other way.   

Granted, sometimes you’ll get beat pitching this way. But that’s just part of the game. You have to play the odds here and have some guts to go after a guy. Pitch to the situation and the hitter. Don’t ignore either factor. Every hitter in every situation in college ball will go up to the plate with an approach and a plan. If you can understand the hitter’s plan, it’s easier to find a weakness to exploit and use it against them. Know the situation and think the game.