Posted by: Melvin () on Sat Nov 6 23:45:14 2004

Hi,
>
> Yes, I've heard that "history is made on the inside" line. And I think it is 'true'. But I don't know if that thinking extends to a constant orientation toward pulling. Could it not just be that when the pitcher makes a mistake inside - "jackpot"? You've won the battle inside, so you can go up to the plate looking 'away' and just react for the payoff dinger if the pitcher dares come in.
>
> Are you going to pull low-and-away hard stuff or sliders over the LEFT field fence ... or merely fly out harmlessly to center? (the geometry strongly works against away stuff to the pull side). Yeah, you "pulled" the pitch, but to where?
>
> ALL of this presumes that one cannot have power to the opposite field.
>
> If I crowd the plate such that an inside strike is at my hands, I've actually made that strike harder to hit because the bat has to travel further around SOONER to make sweet-spot contact. So I'm fighting against getting 'jammed' with an ordinary inside strike. Why make an already difficult task even harder?
>
> Nice ... errrr ... discussion.

Hi All

Ted would say don't swing at that low and away stuff before two strikes.

Before that, don't swing unless you can pull. Multiple timings are too tough, he would say.

I am not endorsing it nor condemning it. But maybe it is too tough. If you can't pull, don't swing, before two strikes. With two strikes, pepper swing.

Melvin

PS - you can easily pull outside pitches that are up in the zone.