There are only so many pitches in this old arm, and I don't believe in wasting them throwing to first base.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Pitchers are going to break. You can limit their pitches and limit their innings, and they're still going to blow out. Pitching is hard on the arm.
If you can get an out on one pitch, take it. Let the strikeouts come on the outstanding pitches. Winning is the big thing. If you throw a lot of pitches, before you know it, your arm is gone.
You aren't going to stick around long with just two pitches.
After I hit a home run I had a habit of running the bases with my head down. I figured the pitcher already felt bad enough without me showing him up rounding the bases.
I never threw an illegal pitch. The trouble is, once in a while I toss one that ain't never been seen by this generation.
If you want to steal a base, steal a base. Don't make the hitter swing at a bad pitch trying to protect the runner.
The only way you preserve pitching arms is throwing; that makes the arm stronger.
In the minor leagues, previous to 2008, I took a lot of pitches. I prided myself on on-base percentage. I made sure that I made the pitcher work.
In my own case I have frequently faced the pitcher when I had no desire whatever to hit. I wanted to get a base on balls.
When you don't have one that you throw for strikes - they are good hitters - they can cancel out one pitch and go to another. Now I have four pitches. If one's not working, I've got three others. It makes the game totally different.
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