In baseball, a number is assigned from 1 to 9 for each position on the field. The number assignment will help keep track of the outcome of the play. The number 1 is assigned to the pitcher.

What A Pitcher Does

In baseball, the pitcher is the one who throws the baseball. He will throw the ball from the pitcher’s mound to the catcher. The first pitch signifies the start of each game. The goal of the pitcher is to retire a batter.

The pitcher is considered the most critical player of the defensive team. There are a lot of types of pitchers. Some of them are the starting pitcher, the relief pitcher, the middle reliever, the setup man, the closer, and the lefty specialist.

The pitcher can also be a batter.

Types of Throws of a Pitcher

Since the primary goal is to have the batter retire or prevent him from hitting the ball well, there are different types of throw that a pitcher makes.

The most popular and the most basic pitch is a fastball. Here, the pitcher throws the ball as hard as possible so the batter cannot hit it well or miss hitting it. One of the best fastball pitchers is Aroldis Chapman. He can throw the ball at a speed of over 160 kilometers per hour. Fastball is also referred to as 1 in pitching.

Other pitching styles include changeup, curveball, cutter, forkball, knuckleball, screwball, sinker, slider, slurve, and split-fingered fastball. All these pitching techniques’ ultimate goal is to deceive the batter as to how fast the ball would get to him or which direction it would be thrown from.

If the pitcher’s pitching style or technique is effective, he will most probably get the credit of winning the game for his team.

The Tasking Job of a Pitcher

To be a great pitcher, one must endure the physical demands of being a pitcher. A full baseball game usually involves 120 to 170 pitches by each team. Hence, the pitcher who starts the game will not be the pitcher who ends the game.

Pitching a ball is an unnatural muscle movement to the body that pitchers can easily suffer from injuries, pain, or soreness. It could even take them days to heal before they can pitch again.