One of the tricks to make the offensive team win is to make the pitcher work. In baseball, making the pitcher work means that they make the pitcher throw many pitches in hopes of tiring him out. Once the pitcher becomes tired out, he could be ineffective, which is why he gets removed and gets replaced by a relief pitcher.
Ways to Make the Pitcher Work
There are many ways to make the pitcher work. The most common are the following:
• Working the count – Here, the batter will try to get the count in his favor when an at-bat takes place. The batter will have to be patient to wait for a quality pitch so he can hit it hard. Because the batter hopes to get the best pitch, it could result in tiring the pitcher out. Thus, the pitcher will have to work harder also to retire the batter.
• Taking a pitch – Whenever a batter takes a pitch, he intentionally declines to swing. Usually, he will be showing off specific body language to communicate his intention. The batter will most likely take a pitch if there are three balls and no strikes.
• Fouling off pitches: Another way to make the pitcher work is through fouling off the pitches. Here, the hit will land in foul territory on the baseball field. This area is the one outside the first and third baselines and behind the home plate. When this happens, the pitcher will have to pitch again if it is still the batter’s first or second strike.
Types of Pitchers
There are many types of pitchers. Some of whom are the starting pitchers, the relief pitchers, the middle reliever, the setup man, the lefty specialists, and the closer.
Usually, the starting pitchers are those who are the best pitchers of the team. Baseball teams will most likely let the starting pitcher pitch as many games or innings as he could. The relief pitcher specializes in coming into the game or inning that another pitcher already started. He will only go in there if the starting pitcher gets removed because of injury, ineffectiveness, ejection, fatigue, or other possible strategic reasons of the team.