When I pitched high school baseball, Adrian High Baseball Coach Meine Busack told me to get ahead with my fastball and throw my curve to finish at bats. When I pitched minor league baseball, my minor league baseball managers told me to get ahead with my sinking fastball and throw my slider to finish at bats.
On Memorial Day 1967, the Detroit Tigers called me to the major leagues. I expected to learn how to pitch major league baseball. However, my pitching coach only told me to get ahead with my sinking fastball and to throw my slider to finish at bats. In 1967, I thought I pitched well. In 37 games, I pitched 59 innings, walked 20, gave up 51 hits, struck out 41 for an 1.98 earned run average. However, Detroit Tiger Field Manager Mayo Smith permitted me to only pitch to right-handed batters. I had a good slider and got right-handed batters out. Unfortunately, left-handed batters hammered my slider. Therefore, during the 1967-1968 off-season, I worked on learning how to throw a screwball.
When I arrived in the 1968 Detroit Tigers spring training camp, I had a fair screwball. However, Field Manager Mayo Smith wanted me to be a right-handed sinking fastball/slider relief pitcher to get right-handed hitters out. When he determined that I wanted to also get left-handed hitters out with my screwball, he sent me to Toledo in the triple-AAA International League. In Toledo, Field Manager Jack Tighe welcomed my screwball and he used me as a starting pitcher. In 31 games, I pitched 211 innings, walked 52, gave up 191 hits, struck out 190 for a 2.94 earned run average. I had a good slider and got right-handed batters out. I had a fair screwball and got left-handed batters out. I got ahead of right-handed batters with my sinking fastball or screwball and threw my slider to finish at bats. I got ahead of left-handed batters with my sinking fastball or slider and threw my screwball to finish at bats.
During the 1968-1969 off-season, I worked very hard on my screwball. In the 1969 major league expansion draft, the Seattle Pilots obtained my contract. In spring training, I earned the Seattle Pilots second starter job. After a good start, a group of young toughs exiting a rock concert in downtown Cleveland, OH mugged me. They partially separated my pitching shoulder and ended my season.
During the 1969-1970 off-season, I worked on my screwball. The Seattle Pilots traded me to the Houston Astros. During spring training, Houston Astro Field Manager Harry Walker told me that he wanted a right-handed sinking fastball/slider pitcher to get right-handed batters out. I started the season in Oklahoma City, OK in the AAA American Association. In 16 games, I pitched 45 innings, walked 16, gave up 32 hits, struck out 42 for a 1.60 earned run average. The Houston Astros recalled me to the major leagues. Two weeks later, the Houston Astros traded me to the Montreal Expos.
After a couple of weeks in AAA, I joined the Montreal Expos in the major leagues. Field Manager Gene Mauch welcomed my screwball.
During the 1970-1971 off-season, I worked on my screwball. Also, I decided that I needed more objective data with which to study how to pitch major league baseball. Therefore, I developed my Pitch By Pitch Game Sheet and Individual Hitter Sheet.
On my Pitch By Pitch Game Sheet, I recorded game number, date, opponent, game site, day or night game, hitters, right or left-handed hitters, pull or spray hitters, score, inning, number of outs, baserunners on first, second and/or third, pitch selections, pitch locations, at bat results and any comments. I circled called strikes with green ink and swinging strikes with red ink.
Pitch By Pitch Game Sheet
Game # ___ Date __/__/__ Versus _____________ At ____________ Day/Night
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Hitter __________ R/L P/S Score __/__ Inning __ Outs __ 1st__2nd__3rd__
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Hitter __________ R/L P/S Score __/__ Inning __ Outs __ 1st__2nd__3rd__
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Hitter __________ R/L P/S Score __/__ Inning __ Outs __ 1st__2nd__3rd__
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Hitter __________ R/L P/S Score __/__ Inning __ Outs __ 1st__2nd__3rd__
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Hitter __________ R/L P/S Score __/__ Inning __ Outs __ 1st__2nd__3rd__
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Hitter __________ R/L P/S Score __/__ Inning __ Outs __ 1st__2nd__3rd__
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Hitter __________ R/L P/S Score __/__ Inning __ Outs __ 1st__2nd__3rd__
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Hitter __________ R/L P/S Score __/__ Inning __ Outs __ 1st__2nd__3rd__
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Hitter __________ R/L P/S Score __/__ Inning __ Outs __ 1st__2nd__3rd__
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Copyrighted (2002) Michael G. Marshall, Ph.D.
On the Individual Hitter Sheet, I recorded hitter, hitter type (Left or Right and Pull or Spray), date, current team, home or away game, day or night game, score, inning, outs, baserunners on first, second and/or third, pitch selections, pitch locations, at bat results and comments.
Individual Hitter Sheet
Hitter _________________________________ Type: Right/Left Pull/Spray
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Date __/__/__ Team_____ H/A D/N Score __/__ Inn __ Outs __ 1st_2nd_3rd_
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Date __/__/__ Team_____ H/A D/N Score __/__ Inn __ Outs __ 1st_2nd_3rd_
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Date __/__/__ Team_____ H/A D/N Score __/__ Inn __ Outs __ 1st_2nd_3rd_
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Date __/__/__ Team_____ H/A D/N Score __/__ Inn __ Outs __ 1st_2nd_3rd_
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Date __/__/__ Team_____ H/A D/N Score __/__ Inn __ Outs __ 1st_2nd_3rd_
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Date __/__/__ Team_____ H/A D/N Score __/__ Inn __ Outs __ 1st_2nd_3rd_
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Date __/__/__ Team_____ H/A D/N Score __/__ Inn __ Outs __ 1st_2nd_3rd_
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Date __/__/__ Team_____ H/A D/N Score __/__ Inn __ Outs __ 1st_2nd_3rd_
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Date __/__/__ Team_____ H/A D/N Score __/__ Inn __ Outs __ 1st_2nd_3rd_
Pitches ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ ___/___ Result:
Comments:
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Copyrighted (2003) Michael G. Marshall, Ph.D.