Here is a clever informal history of baseball from the viewpoint of pitching, the heart of the game. The author is a BB writer of whom I have never read before. Kepner is a NY Times baseball columnist.
How he started out researching pitching. P. ix
Talks in the introduction about Mike Mussina, winner of 270 major league games. P. x
Pitchers today are not expected to work deep into games. This is the major gripe I have with baseball as it is played today. If they were, pitchers would have to develop more pitches instead of two or three. P. x
"If a starting pitcher does his job, Mussina believes, he should win half his starts. . . But there's a catch: the quality of a pitcher's stuff will vary from game to game. In a few starts it will be crips; in a few others it will be flat. Most of the time, he will have just enough to compete." P. x
The SLIDER
The most interesting and intriguing pitch is the slider. The author's discussion is priceless.
The FASTBALL
The best pitch in baseball is a well-located fastball. P. 35
The four seam fastball is endlessly fascinating. P. 35
"The fastball is always number one." Madison Bumgarner P. 36
The CURVEBALL
The best curveball belongs to Sandy Koufax. P. 81
in his 6 best seasons Koufax was 129 & 47 with an ERA of 2.19. He won five ERA titles, four strikeout cities, 3 Cy Young Awards, and two World Series MVPs. He was helped with a tall pitcher's mound at Dodger Stadium. P. 81
Orlando Cepeda sait that Koufax's curve sounded like a little tornado. P. 82
Sutton and Blyleven, great pitchers. They knew about the vicious drop on Koufax's curve. P. 83
Mike Schmidt---the best third baseman in MLB history. P. 84
Schmidt said Ryan's curve ball was intimidating, the most intimidating pitch ever. It was "ridiculous." P. 84
"Ryan developed a changeup at the end of his career. But for much of his first 20 seasons, he threw only the fastball and curve. Like Koufax with the wide glove, Ryan telegraphed his curve ball by grunting when he threw a fastball. If he didn't grunt, the curve wasn't coming. Hitters had no time to react anyway." P. 84
The curveball is a mystery. The rate of topspin makes it go down faster than gravity. The mysteries of the curveball can vary by pitcher. P. 87
David Ross talks about the 12-6 curveball. P. 94
The KNUCKLEBALL
Talk about Jim Bouton. Maybe I should read his books some day. P. 97
The knuckleball is like a plane flying into turbulence. P. 100
Trying to hit Phil Niekro was like trying to eat Jello with chopsticks. P. 100
Satchel Paige had a pitch he called his "bat-dodger." P. 100
Fastball pitchers are born; knuckleball pitchers are made. P. 102
The essence of pitching is the ability to repeat sound mechanics. P. 102
Ted Williama said that Hoyt Wilhelm was one of the five toughest pitchers he faced. P. 107
The SPLITTER or Split-Finger Fast all
Sutter stands alone as the master of the split-finger or splitter. P. 136
The splitter took Jack Morris to greatness. P. 136
Roger Craig deserves a place in baseball history for the rapid rise and rapid decline of the splitter. P. 137
The splitter went viral. P. 138
It's interesting to read about the splitter, popular for a time yet not popular in MLB today. Close to the forkball but not quite the same split on the ball. It was a fad in the 80's. Some people think it is dangerous on the arm. The author seems to be dubious. No scientific data to show the splitter is inherently dangerous on the arm. Fred Martin and Roger Craig taught it. Bruce Sutter took it to the HOF.
The SCREWBALL
Christy Mathewson, master of the "fadeaway," later known as a screwball. Graduate of Bucknell. 373 wins. 2.13 ERA. A winning percentage of .665. Only Lefty Grove has a better winning percentage with at least 250 wins. A dignified and respected gentleman, unlike the stereotype of the typical early 20th century baseball player. P. 149
He saved the fadeaway for "pinches," maybe 10 or 12 time a game because it "killed" his arm. The faraway was a slow curve thrown like a fastball. The ball would break toward a right handed batter. P. 150
Mathewson's fadeaway/screwball was an oddity, now all but faded away itself. P. 150
There is the strange inverted arm and hand of Carl Hubbell. A picture is in the book.
Reading this book as April, 2019, winds to a close has been a real treat. Baseball can be so complex, yet so simple at the same time. Hit 'em where they aint. Pitch 'em where they can't hit it.
The SINKERBALL
The father of all modern sidearm slingers is Grover Cleveland Alexander, who went by the name of "Pete." He won 373 games, tied with Christy Mathewson for third all-time. He was known as a fast worker, his sinker bearing down on right-handed hitters. P. 183-84
Why use three pitches when one will do? Grover Cleveland Alexander P. 184
The Cubs retired number 31 for both Maddux and Jenkins. P. 188
Maddux was a clone of Robin Roberts and the sinker ball. P. 189
it's more about movement than velocity. Movement, location, and the ability to change speeds---and then velocity, in that order. Greg Maddux P. 190
Maddux won 355 games, the most of any pitcher who started after Jackie Robinson in 1947. P. 190
The sinker was Maddux's kill shot after he got two strikes on the batter. P. 191
"Do you have to throw hard to win? No. Do you need to throw hard enough to compete? Absolutely." Greg Maddux P. 191
"Maddux won more times than anyone alive, through precision, intuition, and unrelenting confidence in a pitch that examples restraint. If a pitch trusts brains over brawn, trusts his defense, and also trusts the long game---even today---he will understand this succinct summary of the virtues of a sinking fastball." P. 192
Major League pitchers are throwing fewer two seam sinkers. P. 192
Greater emphasis by hitters these to upper cut rather than swing down on the ball. Get under the sinking ball. P. 194
A sinking fastball at 86 MPH or a straight one at 93 MPH? P. 194
Perhaps the feeling is that making the ball sink is because the pitcher HAS to do it because he doesn't have a big enough fastball. P. 195
The CHANGEUP
From reading I see proof that throwing a major league changeup is hard. It is a difficult pitch to master at any level.
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