Pitching Sequence Flowchart

Pitching Sequence Flowchart...

Pitching is generally considered to consist of equal parts of both science and art. The mechanical aspects of pitching are viewed by most to be the 'science' of pitching and the more cerebral parts of pitching - especially which pitch to throw next - traditionally have been considered to be more of the 'art' of pitching. For me personally, being much more scientific that artsy, I contend that there is indeed a 'science' to the 'art' of pitch selection. On certain pitch counts especially, there are just a few best choices - and sometimes only one. In such cases, there is real art to pitch selection, only science.

This page is derived from pitchers who have based their pitch selections on the statistics of the game (what usually produces the best results) and experience. While I can't promise these recommendations will always work, they will - in theory at least - produce successful results over the long haul.

PITCHING SEQUENCE FLOWCHART

(move mouse over chart to see recommendations)

0-0
0 balls, 0 strikes

1-0
1 ball, 0 strikes

0-1
0 balls, 1 strike

2-0
2 balls, 0 strikes

1-1
1 ball, 1 strike

0-2
0 balls, 2 strikes

3-0
3 balls, 0 strikes

2-1
2 balls, 1 strike

1-2
1 ball, 2 strikes

0-3
! strikeout !

4-0
! walk !

3-1
3 balls, 1 strike

2-2
2 balls, 2 strikes

1-3
! strikeout !

4-1
! walk !

3-2
full count

2-3
! strikeout !

4-2
! walk !

3-3
! strikeout !