Pitch it where they ain't - Hit 'em where they ain't | Good advice!!

Wee Willy Keeler, one of the best hitters at the turn of the century and a Hall of Famer once said his advice to hitter's was "Keep your eye clear, and hit 'em where they ain't".  Now, Perry Husband perhaps borrows from that in this article to explain how Jennie Finch vexes major league hitters by "Pitching it where they ain't". 

from SBNation.com

The Essence of Velocity: The pitching theory that could revolutionize baseball, if only the sport would embrace it

				The Essence of Velocity: The pitching theory that could ... The pitching theory that could revolutionize baseball, if only the sport would embrace it.
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PITCH IT WHERE THEY AIN’T

Perry Husband once asked Brent Strom to name his ideal closer. Without hesitation, Strom said, "Jennie Finch, the softball pitcher."

Strom is on to something. There’s a reason that big league hitters won’t step into the box against a softball hurler: Their underhand delivery is so foreign to them as to appear unhittable.

Finch actually did face big leaguers, at the 2004 Pepsi All-Star Softball Game — where she struck out Albert Pujols, Brian Giles and Mike Piazza. Barry Bonds looked on in amusement, but when he faced her several months later, he was able to muster nothing more than a softly tapped foul.

"Her ball comes in on a different path," said Strom. "It’s why [former Mets starter] Sid Fernandez had success. Everybody wants a 6'5 guy, but hitters have been conditioned for ages for a ball to be in a certain spot, from a downward plane. Fernandez sat really deep on his back leg and had a low release point. Hitters couldn’t adjust."

They would, of course, if they faced Fernandez … or Finch … every day. It’s not like collegiate softball players are better hitters than their big league counterparts.

It does, however, illustrate the power of putting a pitch where the hitter does not expect it to be.

'via Blog this'

If pitchers can incorporate the kind of deceptiveness that Finch possesses, they are well on their way to demolishing the front half of Keeler's advice, "Keep your eye clear..." You can't hit what you can't see, so therefore you can't hit well, that which you can't see well. Good article and Perry Husband throws out some good wisdom on his website "Hitting is a Guess" ( http://www.hittingisaguess.com/index.html ). Perry's stuff is useful for both hitters and pitchers.

P.S. - I did not not know this:

Keeler had the ability to bunt practically any ball sent his way. He was the impetus for the rule change that made a third-strike foul bunt into a strike out.