The hoariest of pitching doctrines holds that one pitch "strength to strength": faced with a batter who loves high sliders, say, the pitcher whose best pitch is a high slider would still throw it. It seems a foolhardy idea, predicated on blind macho, but in most cases it is as strategically sound as it is noble. At the tactic's heart is an expression of self-confidence, of true belief: you may be good, but I'm better; beat me if you dare. The pitcher who thinks, "I can't beat you," usually takes his self-doubt with him to the showers.
