When you look at the top pitchers in baseball this year it’s interesting to see how success on the pitcher’s mound can come in many forms. There are young guys (Volquez and Lincecum), and old guys (Lee and Mussina), righties (Zambrano, Sheets) and lefties (Saunders, Santana), consistent winners (Webb, Halladay) and comeback guys (Cook, E. Santana). But that’s sort of the beauty of baseball, there’s more then one way to be a great pitcher in this league.
I remember learning in college where I was a wildly successful pitcher (If having fun was a statistic I would have been an All American), that the perfect pitching mechanics belonged to Mark Prior. If are throwing motion mimicked that of the great Cubs hurler, then we would avoid injury and have outstanding careers. This my friends is called irony. Obviously there have been a large number of wind-ups, arm angles and routines that have worked for pitchers in the past. Let’s take a look at the 10 greatest pitching routines/deliveries in baseball history.
#10 Mike Fetters- Come to a set, then snap your head toward the hitter and shoot laser beams through your eyes.
When you stare a hole through a man’s soul while he’s in the batter’s box, you only need a low 90’s fastball and average off-speed
#9 Ben Weber- During your windup, begin slamming your glove against your crotch (funny looking glasses required).
“is this guy masturbating on the pitcher’s mound?”
BAM!!! STRIKE THREE YOUR OUT!!!
#8 Old School (Bob Feller, Satchel Paige, Tim Lincecum?)- Ask your Grandpa about this one. Rock back, look to the sky, and then let it rip.
Didn’t Bob Feller and Satchel Paige throw like 100 mph? And doesn’t Lincecum throw like 96? Why aren’t more pitchers going old school?
#7 Chad Bradford- Lift leg like you are a normal pitcher, then lower back till it is parallel to the ground and bend low enough that your knuckles scrape the ground as you throw.
With all due respect to Dan Quisenberry and other side-arm pitchers, Bradford releases the ball lower then any pitcher to ever pitch in the majors.
#6 Mark “The Bird” Fidrych- Pretty standard 1970’s pitching motion, except add talking to the baseball, fixing cleat marks on the mound, and acting high as a kite while pitching.
He was Manny being Manny well before Manny even considered being himself
#5 Livan Hernandez – Just act like you’re playing catch with the catcher. Be sure to make it look like it is taking you absolutely zero effort as you throw.
I saw this guy warming up in Chicago 2 weeks ago, I swear he was having a full conversation while he was throwing in the bullpen. This guy could’ve pounded a Hot and Ready while he threw.
#4 Dennis Eckersley- High leg kick, side-arm delievery, porn mustache, pure gold.
Bow chika Bow Bow….197 Wins….390 Saves…..chika bow bow
#3 Hideki Okajima- Pretty standard delivery actually…..besides the fact that he doesn’t actually look at where he’s throwing.
What’s Japanese for “look up before you kill yourself”?
#2 Henry Rowengartner- I don’t recommend his motion, which resembles a young actor who had never played baseball because he was to busy playing Daddy Warbucks in the school play
Steroid using son of a bitch
#1 Hideo Nomo- Big leg kick, turn back to batter before throwing, untwist body while delivering pitch.
If you played any form of baseball in the 90’s you had an imitation of this delivery. In my opinion, it is the most unique and original delivery I can remember, and thus warrants the #1 position.
Violent J
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