A pitcher needs two pitches, one they're looking for and one to cross them up.

A pitcher needs two pitches, one they're looking for and one to cross them up.

What is life, after all, but a challenge? And what better challenge can there be than the one between the pitcher and the hitter.

The difference between winning nineteen games and winning twenty for a pitcher is bigger than anyone out of baseball realizes. It's the same for hitters - someone who hits .300 looks back on the guy who batted .295 and says 'tough luck buddy.

When I throw a ground ball, I expect it to be an out, maybe two.

Twenty games is the magic figure for pitchers - .300 is the magic figures for batters. It pays off in salary and reputation. And those are the two things that keep a ballplayer in business.