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A Good Defense Is The Path To Baseball Glory
Having a good defense in place is essential to dominating any game. If the other team can't score, there is no way they can win. Baseball is no different. Mastering the intricacies of defense and the ways in which various team members have to work together is crucial.
The Pitcher -
The pitcher is the most important man on defense. His job is to make the hitters miss. That sounds like an easy job, but it is very far from easy. Batters surely want to hit the ball. They will do it as best as they can. Pitchers have some tricks of their own to stop them.
A good pitcher has a variety of pitching styles that all add to the arsenal of weapons that they have. This is meant to confuse the opposing hitters. If they can't figure out what's coming, sending it out of the park becomes harder. A good pitcher is the key to a team's defensive victory.
The various pitches that a master of the craft should always have, and what aspiring pitchers must learn are the "Fastball," the "Curveball," the "Knuckleball," and the "Slow ball."
A fastball aims to make the hitter miss by its speed. The curveball goes on confusing the enemy by making an outcurve or an incurve. The knuckleball changes the ball's altitude, dipping down and making the hitter miss. While the slow ball works on getting the hitter to miss by making him time his swing too early.
These various pitches are executed by a good pitcher at will! If you want to be a baseball superstar, but you can't seem to hit a ball, try pitching. It is the road to being a real key player. Moreover, if you really want to be a great pitcher, practice definitely makes perfect.
The Catcher -
If the pitcher throws, the hitters miss, but the catcher fails to catch the ball, then the officials would call it a pass. It's not a strike, so the hitter would have another opportunity to hit the ball aside from the three strikes that he must avoid. Thus, it is important to have a good catcher.
A catcher is the man who usually crouches behind home plate, hoping every pitch is a miss for those hitters. They are those who tip the pitcher off as to what kind of pitch he must execute because he is in a position to know a batter's weakness and give the defensive side an advantage. Also, when a runner is attempting to go for home plate, it is a catcher's job to tag them out, thus foiling a run.
The Infielders -
The infielders are those who guard the bases. The shortstop has the specific task of stopping a fair hit ball from going any further, thus halting the offense's progress of a run.
They are responsible for tagging the runners and forcing them out, leaving the offense with a shortened batting session. Being quick and agile makes for a dangerous infielder. My favorite infielder of all time is Joe Tinker.
The Outfielders -
A good hitter's worst nightmare is a better outfielder. They can erase the glory of a homerun, rendering it useless, worthless, and frustrating the offense.
This kind of play also elicits a great cheer from the crowd. Aside from a homerun and a strike out, the next best thing is when an outfielder catches a "supposed-to-be" homerun ball. Whenever the hitter succeeds in hitting the ball high and far, over those infielders, then we can see the outfielders in action. A magnificent catch can really boost morale and turn a game around.
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