Update on my pitching

Here are some interesting stats on my pitching. It is hard to say I have pitched well with an ERA above 7.00. But, it might not be as grim as it looks and here is why.

I have appeared in 15 games thus far (incidentally this is the most in the IBL.) Of those 15 appearances I have started 4 games and relieved in 11.

Batting average against me in those 11 relief appearances is .172
Batting average against me in my last 5 relief appearance .074
Batting average against me in my 4 starts is .355

Below is a chart demonstrating the gap between my relief and starting appearances as well as the improvement over the season.



Also interesting is my success against the mighty Blue Sox line up. I have pitched six innings against the Blue Sox and have given up only one hit and no runs. On the other hand, my pitching against Raanana, not a strong hitting team, has been terrible.



So what does it all mean? Well it demonstrates that so much of pitching is psychological. I never know when I am coming in to relieve. I am told to go warm up and I come in when I get the call. The second half of the season I have literally been lights out relieving no matter who I have faced. Starting is a whole different animal. I know a few days ahead of time that I will be starting and I do a lot of research on the hitters and develop a plan for the batters. I spend the days before a start thinking pretty much incessantly about the upcoming game. It turns out that this doesn’t work for me. Perhaps I over think and get to fine with my plan for each batter, perhaps the buildup gets me too tense. I am not sure, but I am starting Wednesday’s game and will be taking a different tact. I will only pitch the first three innings so I can be available for the playoffs. By the way, don’t count the Pioneers out, we might go all the way.

I also spent most of the season reworking my whole approach (mechanical as well as philosophical) to pitching. In the process I walked too many hitters and before I knew it I could not find my way back. Finally, with the exception of one bad outing where my arm muscles kept cramping up (deltoid and bicep of throwing arm, weird)I have solved that problem during second half of the season.

So I have shown lately that I have the “stuff” to be successful in this league, I just have to learn how to manage my approach to starting and leave the first half of the season walkathon in the past.