The Perks of Pitching- On and Off the Field

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Hugh Hill

Imagine getting to hold an entire game in your hands. Then, go watch baseball. You might notice that pitchers get to do this every single game. The entire game depends on their ability to throw the ball across the plate. There is not another team-based sport that isolates an individual as much as baseball, and this philosophy could be applied to any position on the field. There’s not another person within thirty feet of you at all times. But pitchers, especially, are affected by this. You’re in an extremely high stress position at all times, and there’s no one that can help you throw a strike besides yourself. This might not sound appealing to a lot of readers, but I can assure you that it’s the most crucial position on the field.

     You can single handedly lose the game when pitching. If you don’t throw strikes, no one else on the field can do his job. If someone in the field makes an error, there’s going to be another play to make and the other fielders can continue to perform. However, if the pitcher can’t locate in the strike zone, there’s absolutely nothing anyone can do. So, naturally, if he throws lots of strikes and gets outs, the pitcher is the one that gets credited with the win in the box score. It’s a high-stress position, but the feeling of winning a game as the pitcher exceeds that of any other position.

     This high-stress position can only be managed by the best of us, so it definitely prepares you for life after baseball. Most employers might say that they’re “team based”, but really, you’re going to be on your own to perform at peak capacity. One mistake can lose you the game when pitching. Some might call us perfectionists, but I can assure you that you’ll reap the benefits when you enter the workforce. This idea of being isolated, while also working towards a team goal, is a key theme in corporations and agencies.