The relationship between Catcher and Pitcher is, over the course of a season, quite similar to any marriage. The inevitable bickering occurs, blame is passed, and incorrect interpretation of body language and/or comments brings about immature actions, including the transcendent “silent treatment”.
I have asked my very close friend and former Major League Baseball player Brian Johnson to take the incorrect, i.e. other side for this column. Brian is best known for hitting a game-winning home run in the bottom of the 12th inning on September 18, 1997 to pull the San Francisco Giants into a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers, providing the momentum to send the Giants to the playoffs. Brian had a long professional baseball career, and though I am biased, I find him to be almost as cerebral as a Pitcher.
My hope is that this column will provide some insight to all players, coaches and parents, and bring balance to the baseball world (while we’re at it, maybe this will solve the Middle East crisis). We will only address a few key issues, but as with all columns, you can email me at Andrew@seabrightpartners.com with any questions/comments.
QUESTION #1- Does the Catcher suggest pitches, or is he calling the game?
P: This one is pretty easy. The Catcher is merely there to suggest pitches, while the Pitcher has the ultimate authority. The suggestions of the Catcher, while valuable, are just that, suggestions. A smart Pitcher will bank every pitch to every hitter and will have a very good idea of what he wants to throw before the Catcher begins to flash signs and look cool for the cameras. If the sign given confirms his thinking, great; if not, it is time to start the East/West head shake.
C: My left-handed friend does make a good point, but, as usual, I would like to clarify a few points in order for people to truly get the whole picture…like a good catcher should. The best answer to this question is that both the catcher and pitcher should be on the same page before the game begins. The catcher’s role, therefore, throughout the game will depend upon the personality of the pitcher, the feel of the pitches and the situation of the game. Often times, since the pitcher has so much to think about mechanically and internally, if the catcher has earned his confidence…he will rely on the catcher’s judgment. But yes, when there is a discrepancy, the pitcher will always have the final say because he will be the one held responsible.
QUESTION #2- Just how much can a Catcher help a Pitcher in an individual game?
P: Much as it pains me to admit it, a good Catcher can pull a Pitcher through not just individual situations, but full games. Case in point, in 1994, I had a start where my stuff was terrible and useless. This start came against the #2 team in Division II. I walked six batters and struck out one, but had a complete game four-hitter, and my team tied the NCAA record for double plays in a game. How? By keeping me believing that my pitches were effective and keeping me focused on the next pitch rather than the previous one.
C: Yes, we are a great breed, aren’t we? (Oh….just kidding.)
A good catcher can serve as a great cheerleader, but a better description of his/her role is his…in keeping with the political season…Chief of Staff. As such, the catcher’s sole purpose is to support the Pitcher: to establish a strategy, to objectively evaluate strong and weak areas at the moment, to step to the shadows when the glory is handed down and to be the rock when things are dicey. There are a litany of ways to do this, but one of them is to, yes, hold the pitcher’s hand.
QUESTION #3- What causes the Pitcher/Catcher relationship to turn ugly?
P: From my perspective, there are many ways for this already difficult relationship to take a turn toward Carlos Zambrano/Michael Barrett territory. The root cause of each of these, however, is failure. Be it a bad game or just a bad inning, a competitive, i.e. successful Pitcher will look to lay blame, and usually, the first arrow is shot at the Catcher. Over the course of a game, a Catcher can take away strikes (not holding pitches, blocking the umpire, etc.), can ruin a Pitcher’s tempo by causing him to shake off pitches constantly and worst of all, can change the entire sequence of pitches with men on base for fear that a pitch in the dirt will not be blocked.
C: Yeah, this can be a bit of a Pandora’s Box where there could be a whole lot of reasons as to “why”. I would definitely agree that these things come about when bad times are lurking, but it is also an issue of personality. The image that often comes to mind when one thinks of catchers, is that of the old grisly veteran-types like what we saw in Bull Durham (played by Kevin Costner) and even in Major League (with Tom Berenger), where they, the catchers, are in charge and the pitchers are just bowing to their knowledge and experience…is a bit farfetched. I am not saying that this never happens, but it rarely does, and when it does, it is inevitable that incidents like the Zambrano/Barrett-thing are coming very soon and very often. The pitching coach is the one, for me, responsible for nixing this tension, long before it erupts on the field. He simply lays down the law as to what the solution will be, and it is done.
Question #4 – When is the best time for a catcher to go to the mound?
P: This really needs to be answered in two different ways based on two different scenarios. The first and most obvious time is game specific. If a Pitcher needs to be reminded of a particular batter’s tendencies (will drag bunt, will chase first pitch fastballs, etc.) based on scouting reports, the Catcher will visit. This is more of a visit to be sure everyone is on the same page. Similarly, the Catcher may use a visit to the Pitcher to tell a position player to look for a throw behind a runner on base.
The more difficult one is when a visit is actually directed at the Pitcher. We Pitchers are smart enough to know when a Catcher is simply buying a reliever time by visiting and truth be told, nothing is more bothersome. It’s a direct shot to our pride. These conversations usually do not go well, as the Catcher is being put in an unenviable position. Another frustrating visit from the Catcher is when there is repeated inability to “get on the same page”. A Pitcher and Catcher must agree on pitch AND location, making the choices grow with each pitch in an arsenal.
Rarely is a visit made to discuss mechanics, particularly at the professional level. The visit from the Catcher may serve to calm down a Pitcher or to simply slow the game down (as discussed in previous columns). As far as what is said between Pitcher and Catcher in those instances when the visit is to loosen up a Pitcher, it is rarely for public consumption and would surely be edited out of this column for its language and subject matter.
C: There are those typical times when a pitcher may be struggling to find his rhythm that it is good to give him a breather. My preference, however, is more the proactive stuff. I found the best time to go out to talk to my pitcher was when he was doing well to reinforce and remind what he is doing well in order to be able to draw upon those good habits he is performing well in, when things aren’t so wonderful. I would say things like “ok now, let’s remember why you are getting all these ground ball outs…it’s because we are keeping it down, you’re getting over your front foot and getting ahead early with strikes.” I would usually do this on a high, easy fly ball to the outfield because he doesn’t have back-up responsibility and nor do I, so it is a great time to have a quickie that nobody even notices. This proved to always be really effective because you are keeping your pitcher focused on what he’s doing and not how great he is, and it does not get in the way of his flow of the game. Depending upon the personality of the pitcher, and/or what he needed at the time, I would end what I had to say by getting him to smile with a sarcastically snide comment like, “so keep it goin’ and don’t screw it up.” You gotta keep it fun, but be effective.
Question #5: How many different pitches do you need to have to be successful?
P: This is really dependent on the level of play and the ability level of the Pitcher versus his competition. That being said, it is universal that you do not mess with success. In other words, the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) philosophy applies to baseball; if they can’t get good wood on a particular pitch, keep throwing it. Exhibit A is Mariano Rivera, who has an absolutely filthy cut fastball and…nothing else, yet he is probably the greatest closer ever.
A Pitcher and Catcher work best in scenarios where mind games are necessary. A layman may see a Pitcher shake off a 2-0 (or, in rare cases, a 3-0) pitch and think “what else could he possibly be throwing but a fastball?” The answer is that Catchers have a responsibility to either show no sign or flash a “shake off” sign. Remember, hitting is timing and pitching is upsetting that timing. A catcher can contribute to this greatly by the signs he puts down and the timing of putting those signs down. The more effective a Pitcher and Catcher are at the cat and mouse game, the fewer pitches are needed.
Brian mentions below that the key is location. I would mostly agree with that sentiment but add the caveat that location combined with changing speeds is really the key to success. It is semantics, but is a 95 mile per hour fastball followed by a two seamer at 91 two different pitches? Absolutely. Nothing bothers me more than a Pitcher getting ahead with a fastball, making a batter look silly, and then following it up with a curveball. Throw the same fastball, but (as pointed out below), expand the strike zone.
C: From a catcher’s standpoint, it is the quality of pitches that one has in his repertoire that is most important. You must have control to be effective and that starts with the fastball. What many pitchers AND catchers overlook (yes, we do have a flaw or two every blue moon) is that the fastball, if used to its maximum potential, can be eight or even twelve different pitches. The key is location. You often hear on television that the pitcher must expand the plate or the strike zone to be effective. What that means is you want the hitter to feel as if he’s got to cover a wider plate than he has to. To do this you have to be able to throw your fastball on the plate for a strike, and just off the plate for what appears to the hitter to have a chance to be a strike…but it’s not. Using your straight, four seam fastball, if you can throw an inside strike and an outside strike, that’s two pitches. Four seam fastball just off the plate inside and outside, that’s four pitches. That is enough really, but if you are looking to force the envelope and get to the Greg Maddux, Jamie Moyer, Bob Tewksbury type of stuff, then you can expand that count, again in staying with the fastball, and throw a two-seam fastball on and off the plate, inside and outside, respectively…that’s eight pitches. Then, as the capper, if you can get a little cut on the fastball, you have four more pitches which could bring us to twelve different pitches for twelve different purposes. Pretty good deal to make one into twelve, isn’t it?