Strikeout

by Bobby Woods May 30, 2022 2 Comments

Striking out in baseball is certainly not a lot of fun. I have always felt that the ability to hit with two strikes separates good hitters from great hitters in baseball & softball. Having watched many baseball videos,  baseball and softball games, there are a multitude of reasons why players strike out.

Do players strike out? Absolutely!

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I remember when I was 11 years old batting 4th on my little league all-star team from Margate, NJ I was up 4 times and struck out 4 times. It got worse, the game went into extra inning and I was the losing pitcher. I accomplished all of this in less than 2 hours. Sometimes I still think about that summer night in 1960 - Maybe I need therapy, so long ago! It is important to remember that the first rule of hitting is to put the ball in play. Just ask the Houston Astros who were World Series Champions in 2017 & 2022. Their players were very difficult to strike out. 

Here are 5 tips when hitting with two strikes:

1. After getting two strikes, step out of the batter's box and do some tension busters. Look at your bat and twirl the bat in your hands, look at the bat's label, adjust your helmet, adjust your uniform or your batting gloves. Take some deep breaths. These tension busters will relax you and take your mind off the fact you have two strikes. It will reset you.
2. In the batter's box, crowd the plate slightly - this will make it harder for the pitcher to strike you out on the inside and outside corners of the plate.
3. Choke up a little more than usual - this will give you more bat barrel control.
4. Before the ball is thrown think about hitting it up the MIDDLE. Some hitters find they see the ball better, it looks bigger, reduces the urgency to swing too early and reduces crowd and opposing team distraction. A lot of great hitters try to hit the ball up the middle. Rod Carew who hit over 300 for 15 consecutive seasons with the Minnesota Twins and California Angels tried to hit it up the middle on every pitch - he felt he could adjust to outside and inside pitches better when trying to hit the ball up the middle. He also won 7 batting titles and is in the Major League Hall of Fame!
5. And finally, a hitter with 2 strikes needs to expand their strike zone. Even if the ball appears to be a "ball" and it is close to being a strike, swing at it! Do not allow the umpire to call you out on a third strike. Also, if the umpireis tired or late for dinner his or her strike zone may even become bigger.                  

 Baseball and Softball Instructional Hitting Video 

Bobby Woods is a former Chicago Cubs org. player & Arizona State University graduate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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