The Anatomy of the Perfect Pitch
Baseball great Satchel Paige said, “My pitching philosophy is simple: keep the ball away from the bat.” But as David Drea ’19 knows, it’s a bit more nuanced than that.
The left-handed pitcher for the Ursinus baseball team broke down his mechanics for Ursinus Magazine.
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Drea says pitching is 90 percent mental. As he “comes set,” he visualizes throwing strikes. He pitches from the stretch—a simpler, more compact pitching position. |
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Drea begins his stride toward the plate, remaining balanced and driving off his back leg. The ball is hidden from the hitter’s view as he aims for the catcher’s belt buckle on a fastball, or somewhere else if the ball breaks or runs. |
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Bringing his left arm up, Drea keeps a consistent arm slot, an advantage for pitchers because it means that the hitter isn’t likely to differentiate between the four types of pitches he throws: a two-seam fastball, curveball, change-up and splitter. |
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Drea whips his arm forward and releases the ball, his momentum carrying him forward. |