Wear it: why you should take the hit by pitch
The hit by pitch is baseball's most selfless act. It takes no skill, but it does take something very important from the hitter: Courage.
During the 2018 season, Spiders batters were hit by 70 pitches, compared to 43 by our opponents. A big reason was that wearing a pitch was part of our culture.
One of the biggest frustrations as a coach is seeing a player with two strikes jump out of the way of a pitch. Then he strikes out and heads back to the dugout with no idea what just happened. That inside pitch was his best chance to get on base!
Getting hit hurts. I get it. But it’s only temporary — if you do it right — and the reward is a base (with the bases loaded, it’s an easy run).
Hitters at the bottom of the order need to be fearless, too, because if they struggle to hit, they need other ways on base.
And offspeed? Come on, man. Wear it properly and it won’t hurt. Turn away, take it on the butt or the back of the leg, and smile down the line.
Always turn your head and body away. Never take it in the face, hand, wrist or elbow, because a base isn’t worth a broken bone.
Make it part of your culture. We encouraged it and we rewarded it. When a player wore one, he got a big ovation on his way to first.
Still have a question? Ask Coach Fungo.
“There is no excuse for ducking out of the way of an inside offspeed pitch.”
I wrote the long version of this when I coached the Spiders: WEAR IT: Baseball's Most Selfless Act on SpidersElite.
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