Mastering the Pitching Position: A Complete Guide

In baseball, there’s an old adage that says, “Good pitching beats good hitting every time.” That means a team can have average hitting and win with good pitching, while it likely won’t win with good hitting and bad pitching. That’s why pitching is so important for a baseball team’s success.

A pitcher, along with the catcher, is involved in every at-bat. No other positions are as critical to the outcome of a game as the pitcher’s. It’s a demanding job. They’re primarily responsible for stopping their opponent’s offense. Ten of the top 25 highest paid Major League Baseball (MLB) players were pitchers in 2023. Let’s break down the responsibilities of a pitcher.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

The primary job of a pitcher is to throw the baseball from the mound to the catcher and get the batter out. To be effective, a pitcher must master different types of pitches and study hitter’s tendencies to figure out where to throw the baseball. Batters have preferences of where they want the pitch to be when they are hitting. Pitchers need to avoid throwing in the spots that batters prefer. 

Velocity plays a role in the success of a pitcher. It’s often more difficult to hit a pitch that is traveling fast to the plate. A few MLB pitchers can throw the ball 100 miles per hour or more.

Another way pitchers can control the game is through pace. Before the pitch clock started in 2023, pitchers could take as long as they wanted to deliver the baseball. They could work fast or slow. Varying the pace could make it harder for hitters to get comfortable. Now, pitchers have 15 seconds to deliver a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base. The new rule has shortened games and made it slightly harder for pitchers to control the tempo of a game. College baseball has a pitch clock, but high school and Little League Baseball generally don’t have a clock. Besides throwing to batters, pitchers must hold runners on base and field their positions. Holding runners on base means that pitchers must keep them from stealing a base. Pitchers do this by throwing to the base the runners are on. This keeps them close, making it harder for them to steal. The only responsibility pitchers don’t have is to hit. Most pitchers have a designated hitter that bats for them.

Types of Pitchers

Each team has 6 different types of pitchers—starters, long relievers, middle relievers, spot starters, setup pitchers, and closers. All pitchers except the starters are considered relievers. Below is a description of each type:

• Starter: The starter is the pitcher who begins the game for a team. A starter’s goal is to pitch the majority of a 9-inning game. For a starter to earn a win, they must pitch at least 5 innings and leave with their team ahead. A starter’s goal is to get their team into the second half of the game with a lead. Starters typically pitch every 5^th day in MLB. Starters rarely finish a full game. 
• Spot Starter: A spot starter fills in occasionally for a regular starter. Each team generally has 5 starters. A 6^th starter could be called on to take over for an injured pitcher or just to start a game because the schedule is heavy. Often, the spot starter doubles as a reliever. 
• Long Reliever: A long reliever takes over for a starter who gives up too many runs early on, or if a starter gets injured. Generally, a reliever who has to pitch more than 3 innings is considered a long reliever. If a starter gives up 6 runs in the third inning, a manager might pull them for a long reliever. Their job would be to try to get to the middle innings and hand the ball off to a middle reliever.
• Middle Reliever: A middle reliever often enters the game in the 6^th or 7^th inning. If a game goes well for a starter, they often leave after 6 innings. Most starters are on a pitch count that is typically around 100 pitches. A manager will often pull them after they hit their pitch count. If the starter is efficient, they could last the whole game but that rarely happens. A middle reliever might pitch 1 inning or 2 depending on the situation. Typically, there are between 120 and 130 pitches in a game.
• Setup Pitcher: The setup pitcher is used almost exclusively to pitch the 8^th inning. They almost always come into the game to protect a lead. Their job is to get to the 9^th inning and get the ball to the closer.
• Closer: The closer typically pitches the 9^th inning when their team is ahead. It’s their responsibility to finish the game. Closers must deal with intense pressure. They often throw fewer than 20 pitches, and they can be used on consecutive days. They might be protecting a 1 - or 2-run lead. If it’s an important game, a closer might have to pitch the 8^th and 9^th innings.

An MLB team typically has 5 starters and 8 relievers on its teams. The set-up pitcher and closers are considered relievers. Teams generally have a mix of left-handed and right-handed pitchers because some batters hit better against right-handed pitchers, and others against left-handed pitchers. Some clubs might have a left-handed specialist. Those are pitchers that get left-handed hitters out at a higher rate than other pitchers. Because there aren’t as many left-handed pitchers, clubs typically have more right-handed pitchers on their roster.

Types of Pitches

A pitcher usually throws more than one kind of pitch. To keep batters off-balance, a pitcher uses different grips and throws the ball at varying speeds to make the baseball move differently when it approaches the plate. There are dozens of variations of one type of pitch. For instance, a pitcher can change the movement of a pitch by altering their arm angle. Below are 4 of the most common types of pitches.

• Fastball: Almost every pitcher has a fastball, which is a ball thrown at maximum speed. There are 2 basic types of fastballs: a 2-seam fastball and a 4-seam fastball. For a 2-seam fastball, pitchers hold the ball with their index and middle fingers parallel to the seams. Their thumb is underneath the ball. A 2-seam fastball isn’t as fast as a 4-seam fastball, where you hold your index and middle fingers perpendicular over the seams. However, a 2-seam fastball usually has more spin.
• Curve: A curveball is a pitch that dives down as it crosses the plate. Curveballs are slow pitches compared to fastballs. Holding the ball with 2 fingers and their thumb, a pitcher rotates their hand clockwise as they release the ball. That makes it curve.
• Slider: A slider is a “faster” version of a curveball. A slider typically has less break at the plate but the break it has is sharper. It gets to the plate faster than a curveball.
• Changeup: A changeup is a pitch that arrives at the plate as slowly as possible. The pitch’s purpose is to deceive the batter into thinking the pitcher is throwing a fastball. To do this, the pitcher still throws the ball as hard as possible. They just grip the ball in a way that minimizes the speed it reaches. One way to grip the ball differently is to throw the ball from the palm of your hand with your pinkie and index finger barely touching the ball. Pitchers always cover their grip in their glove before they take the baseball out and start their motion to the plate, because they don’t want to tip off to their opponents on what type of pitch they’re throwing.

Pitchers generally have at least 2 types of pitches. Some might have 5 or 6 different types of pitches. Some pitchers rely primarily on deception to get batters out. They might not throw that hard, but they keep hitters off-balance by disguising the types of pitches they are throwing. Pitchers with high velocity often don’t try to fool batters. They depend on their speed to get batters out.

Learning how to be a good pitcher is a matter of trial and error. Many pitchers develop their own special grips for their pitches that work just for them. However, the fundamentals of a grip for each type of pitch are generally the same. Good pitchers are poised under pressure, studious, disciplined, and competitive. They also know how to take care of their pitching arm. A serious arm injury can set a pitcher back years or perhaps push them out of baseball permanently. It takes years to learn the art of pitching and even the best pitchers are always trying to improve.