How to Know when to Bring the Relief Pitcher into the Game
If you are a baseball coach, it is important that you know your players strengths and the best times to use them. This includes taking advantage of all of your pitchers throughout the game to spare your main pitcher. The use of a relief pitcher is very important.
Relief pitchers are used to do that – relieve the main pitcher. This can be because of an injury, ineffectiveness against the opposing team, or simply because the main pitcher is becoming worn out. In games where one team is dramatically ahead in runs, the coach may decide to take the main player out early to save him for another game as well.
Besides giving the main pitcher a break, use of the bullpen and relief pitchers has some other advantages. One, by cycling through several pitchers, it is more difficult for the opposing team to prepare for the type of throws that they might get. It can allow older players to continue to play the sport longer. By rotating out pitchers, the risk of fatigue and injury is much lower, leading to longer and healthier careers for all the players involved.
There are several types of relievers and good times in the game to use them all.
Long relievers are expected to pitch until the point in the game when the starting pitcher would have been pulled. He is usually put in when the starting player is pulled from the game early either because of an unexpected injury or an ineffectiveness at preventing runs for the other team. If the game is beyond saving and the long reliever is put in for a lost cause he is also known as the mop-up man.
If it is later in the game, usually around the 6th or 7th inning, then a middle reliever is used. Middle relievers are often only used to pitch one inning. They are often used if the starting pitcher has allowed several batters to reach base, or in the late innings of games where there team is losing the game.
Left One Out GuYs, affectionately known as “LOOGYs†are left hand relievers. They are almost always used if there are runners already on base. Their strength is to get one or two outs against the opposing team’s best left-handed hitters.
Setup men are used as fill in pitchers and are often saved for close games. They are brought into the game typically during the 7th or 8th inning to fill in the gap between the starting pitcher or the middle reliever and the closer. They will generally only pitch one or two innings.
Closers are the finishers of the game. They are usually used to finish off a game that their team is already winning in the 9th inning and is several runs ahead.
One of the most important things that a coach can do is to draft relief pitchers that are going to influence the game. Since they are often called out when the game is on the line and the team needs to win, they often have a major impact on the game itself. Coaches should look for several relief pitchers that can make the pitch – having only one or two may backfire if the game is not going your way. Look for pitchers with a good base performance value to see their strikeout-to-walk ratio. Be willing to switch to a relief pitcher early in the game to save your starter. Know the strengths and weaknesses of your team so that you can fill in the gaps.
Knowing when and how to use your relief pitching team can make all the difference as to whether you win or lose your games. So make sure that you are using them effectively now!
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