The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 mph

by Shawn Green

I even came to realize that many guys pitch differently with a base runner on second than they do with a base runner on third. In both cases, the runner is in scoring position. However, with a runner on second, pitchers don’t have to worry so much about the hitter making contact, so to keep hitters off balance, pitchers tend to throw curveballs and sliders in the strike zone; with a runner on third and the prospect of simple contact resulting in a run, pitchers tend to throw more fastballs high and inside, as that’s a pitch often popped up or fouled back. Also, many pitchers throw fewer forkballs with a runner on third, because they don’t want to bounce one by the catcher. Others tend to throw the same pitch on a full count as they’ve thrown the pitch before, because they already have the feel for the pitch.