Life Lesson #12: Sequences

SEQUENCES

Sequence: A related or continuous series; a following of one thing after another.

Sequences are events or things that happen one after another. They are related, and work together to form a group. When applied to pitching, a sequence refers to a number of pitches thrown successively, to work a batter and get him out. We take this group of pitches, or sequence, and examine each pitch to see how, and why, they were thrown in that order. Then, it is our task to see if we can use these sequence ideas in our own mound time. For simplicity, we will discuss sequences in groups of two pitches.

Location
While it is important to challenge batters and throw the ball near the middle of the plate, there are times when it is effective to move the ball in and out on the batter. Dealing only with a fastball, a simple example of a two-pitch sequence is: (#1)-Fastball inside… followed by (#2)-Fastball outside. It would be easy to memorize this sequence, simply telling yourself, "Throw a fastball inside, and then a fastball outside." However, I challenge you is to understand why these two pitches work together to form an effective sequence.

#1-Fastball Inside: The purpose of the fastball inside is to get the ball in on the batters hands. Our attempt to jam the batter will also serve to open up his stance, his eyes and his expectations for the ball inside. He must be ready to quickly get his hands through to meet the ball inside in the zone.

#2-Fastball Outside: Follow up an inside fastball with one over the outside corner of the plate. After opening up the batter to the inside fastball, an outside fastball will appear very far away from their reach and also surprise him. Gearing up for a hard one in on his hands, the batter will likely have pulled out (opened up) on the pitch, leaving him little chance of reaching the outside fastball.

Speed An effective sequence can involve different pitches as well as locations. Building on our understanding of the inside/outside sequence, let's now add a different pitch. This sequence is casually referred to as: Hard in... soft away!

#1-Fastball Inside: Again, our purpose is to speed up the hitters bat speed. We want to make him aware of a hard pitch inside, and gear up to get the bat through the zone quickly.

#2-Off-Speed Outside: Now we will not only vary the location of our pitch, but also the speed. If we have achieved our goal of first throwing a hard fastball on the inside portion of the plate, an off-speed pitch away from the batter will fool the batter with both location and speed. Think of this as a batter… if you are looking for a fastball inside, you need to have quick hands and will likely cheat to open up. If you receive a slow pitch (change-up) outside, not only will the ball appear farther away from you, but your timing will be off as well.

Sequences get more and more complex as you advance through your career. By the time you are in High School, you will have a continuous plan of what pitch you want to throw two or three pitches in advance. By varying locations and speeds, a group of pitches, or sequence, can be a helpful ally in getting outs!