by Jimmy Flatbush

Created on: November 01, 2010

The axiom that “successful pitching beats successful hitting” has never been more accurate than during this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs. While hitters knocked around Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum in Game 1 of the World Series, the storyline of the playoffs has unequivocally been how starting pitching has dominated powerful lineups such as the ones presented by the Yankees and Phillies. Roy Halladay, Matt Cain, and Lee are the latest in a long line of dominant postseason pitchers.

Pitchers diligently work on their craft throughout the year, not just during bullpen sessions during the regular season. Their goal is to improve their mechanics, while at the same time refining a new pitch for use in their repertoire. Simply adding five miles per hour on a fastball is not enough for becoming a better pitcher. Pitchers must also sharpen their focus, increase their stamina, and broaden their pitching style in order to keep hitters off balance. They must be able to rebound from poor performances and struggles that occur within games. Their intense conditioning regimen should not only increase endurance, but also prevent repetitive arm motion injuries.

The keys to become a successful baseball pitcher:

Resiliency

Baseball commentators often talk about a pitcher’s heart. They are not referring to clogged arteries, but to how a pitcher responds to adversary. Successful pitchers learn how to block out failures and move on to the next batter and game. Both Lee and Lincecum struggled during the regular season, but both pitchers put their travails behind them once they took to the mound during the postseason.

Listen to the Coach

Successful pitchers absorb information from their coaches, particularly the pitching coach. Most pitching coaches are former MLB pitchers or catchers, which gives them keen insight on the measures to take in order to become a better pitcher. Successful pitchers also pick the brains of veterans who pitch on the same team. Greg Maddux was a great mentor for younger Atlanta Braves pitchers before he retired in 2009.

Catcher Rapport

Besides the pitcher, the most important position on a baseball team squats behind the plate, while waiting for a pitching delivery from just over fifty feet away. He calls for pitches and sets the location target with his glove. He acts as part strategist and part psychologist. Successful pitchers build a strong rapport with their catchers, which they predicate on trusting pitch selection

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