By Josh Staph
STACK Magazine
When it comes to making a delivery, FedEx has nothing on Curt Schilling. The power of an enraged bull can't stand up to bat of Manny Ramirez, which consistently parks balls outside the Green Monster. And even Caesar himself couldn't lead a field of men like Jason Varitek.
These men-and the rest of the 2004 Boston Red Sox-led the League in seven offensive categories, tied the record for doubles and brought the World Championship back to Beantown for the first time in 86 years. The 2005 campaign was impressive as well; the Sox capped off a thrilling late-season drive by securing a spot in the divisional series.
Making history, however, didn't come without the help of three great instructors: Hitting Coach Ron "Papa Jack" Jackson, who's been with Boston since 2002; Pitching Coach Dave Wallace, who joined the team full time in 2003; and Bench Coach Brad Mills, whose BoSox initiation came in 2004 following a stint with the Expos.
Take an inside look at the curse-crushing instruction that propelled the Red Sox to the top of the American League.
At the plate with Ron Jackson
Papa Jack drops a few lines about hitting skills.
Two-strike Hitting
The key to hitting with two strikes is tracking the ball deeper into the catcher's mitt. Good hitters can see the ball longer than everyone else.
Most hitters either choke up on the bat or widen their stance to help their chances with two strikes. Choking up shortens your swing, making your hands quicker to inside pitches. Spreading your stance can help you see the ball better, prevent you from being fooled by a pitch and stop you from overstriding. When a batter overstrides, his head moves toward the ball, creating the illusion that the ball is moving faster than it really is. Be easy with your body and quick with your hands.
Without two strikes, part of the plate belongs to the batter. If the first few pitches aren't exactly where you want them, you can just take them. But when your count includes two strikes, the plate widens, leaving more for you to cover. This is really when you have to see the ball.
The Art of the Sac Fly
Focus on hitting from gap to gap. Look for a ball up in the zone if possible, and drive it between left- and right-center-the deepest part of the ballpark. But don't try to lift the ball. If you alter your swing too much, you'll hit a pop-up. Pitchers try to induce grounders by throwing the ball down in the strike zone when the batter is looking to advance a runner. You have to learn how to get the ball in the air off a low pitch through constant cage work.
Hit and Run
You don't want to alter your swing too much in this situation either. Most managers are just looking for a ground ball. Having a guy like Mark Loretta on your team is great, because he has enough bat control to hit behind the runner or move an inside pitch to the right. But since making contact is hard enough, just concentrate on that. When you try to aim the ball, you end up dipping your bat head and popping up.
Since the runners are moving, you don't get to pick your pitch in this situation. But realize that a ball low in the zone is easier to hit on the ground. You need to practice hitting ground balls off pitches in all locations, because you can't wait for the one.
Pitch Recognition
You were born and raised to hit that number one pitch-the fastball. And many times, players don't see enough good breaking balls early in their careers, so they never learn how to hit one.
When I coach younger players, I tell them to always take the breaking ball. Most times, a curve or slider will be out of the zone, because most young pitchers can't throw them for strikes. Lay off these pitches, so you don't even flinch at them. Then, if a pitcher hangs a breaking ball, you're going to swing, because it looks like a fastball with nothing on it. That's the pitch you crush.
Don't ever look for a pitch. Instead, react to the ball as it comes. Create a little window around the pitcher's release point and focus on it. Watch him warm up; see if he throws sidearm, three-quarter or over the top. Pay close attention to his release point for certain pitches. Then, when you're focusing on the window, you'll quickly recognize what pitch is coming.
Hitting the Deuce
Gaining the ability to hit a curve ball results from repetition, seeing that pitch a lot and hitting it-just like learning to hit off a lefty.
When you realize the pitcher is delivering a curve, see the ball as long as you can and try to hit the inside of the ball. If you try to swing around it, you'll miss it or hook it foul. For a right-handed batter, if the ball is breaking away from you and you stay inside to aim up the middle or right-center, you'll hit it straight. If it is breaking toward you and you stay inside it, you'll still hit it fair, but down the leftfield line.
On the Mound with Dave Wallace
Accelerate your K count with this coach's advice.
The Fastball (Heater)
Every young pitcher needs to gain command of his fastball. It builds arm strength and can evolve into a few different pitches if you can control and locate it.
Down and Away
Locating a fastball down and away has to be a pitcher's number one priority. Look at the bat angle of a hitter trying to make contact there. His barrel is below the handle, so making quality contact is difficult.
Up and In
The next best location is up and in, just under the hitter's elbows. Putting the ball there can back the hitter off the plate or tie him up if he swings.
Ideally, use this placement in a 1-2 or 0-1 count to back a guy off and avoid going too deep into the count. It's a great delivery when it's a pitcher's count and you can afford to go off the plate, but still have the effectiveness of setting up the next pitch. However, making a mistake with this pitch in a tight situation usually puts the ball over the plate-right where a batter likes it.
The Grip
There are two main grips to hurling a fastball-the two-seam (sinking) and four-seam (rising); it just depends on your preference. Most guys throw a four-seam. If a guy throws 90-plus miles per hour with the four-seam, that's great. But if he's throwing an 87-mile-per-hour two-seam sinker, then I want him to stay with that until he's ready to advance to the four-seam.
The Curve (Hook)
The curve ball is a great weapon because it changes planes on the batter. It looks like it's coming in on one level, then breaks to another. Changing the plane or eye level of a hitter's swing is always to your benefit.
Technique
Most young pitchers try to throw a curve too hard. Instead of emphasizing velocity, focus on creating spin. Once your arm gets to shoulder level-in the L-position-turn your wrist in and pull down on the ball rather than casting it out. You should end up pulling almost straight down. The quicker the spin (not the harder the throw), the quicker the pitch breaks through the hitting zone.
Grip
This all depends on your comfort. Whatever grip you use, however, the ball should have a rapid downward rotation when it comes out of your hand.
When to Throw the Deuce
If a pitcher can use the curve as a "get over" pitch, then he should use it as the first pitch. It will probably be a strike, because it's unlikely the batter will swing. The curve is also great for later in the count when you see that your hitter is anxious to swing. Play to his aggressiveness by throwing the curve out of the zone. Even though it's not a strike, it will look like one at first, so he'll commit and swing.
The Changeup (Dead Fish)
Mastering the changeup is a necessity. You deliver it with the same arm speed and rotation as your fastball, but less velocity, which produces less wear on your arm and is harder for hitters to time. I don't care if it's an 81-, 86- or 96-mile per hour fastball. The whole basis of pitching effectively is upsetting the hitter's timing, and there is no better way to do that than with the changeup.
Grip
You have to use a grip with which you can actually throw a fastball. Your arm speed and release look like a fastball is coming, but you have to take something off it with your grip-ideally 10 to 12 miles per hour.
To do this, put the ball back in your fingers. You can use the circle change, which is where you grip the ball toward your palm with your middle, ring and pinky fingers and make an OK sign on the ball with your index and thumb. Or you can try the three-finger change. Grip the ball down toward the palm with your index, middle and ring fingers, and touch your thumb and pinky together under the ball. You have to experiment with the changeup grips to learn how to deaden the ball as you release it.
Originally published in STACK Magazine and on STACKMAG.com, March, 2006.