{"id":56799,"date":"2022-10-05T21:54:13","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T01:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=56799"},"modified":"2022-10-06T18:43:56","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T22:43:56","slug":"ninth-inning-tough-last-three-outs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2022\/10\/05\/ninth-inning-tough-last-three-outs\/","title":{"rendered":"Pitching the Ninth Inning: Why the Last Three Outs Are the Toughest to Get"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why the Ninth Inning Is So Tough<\/h2>\n

Although some front offices and analytics departments insist otherwise, the final three outs of a game are often the hardest to get. \u201cThere\u2019s a big difference between the 23rd out and the 27th out,\u201d retired pitcher Bruce Hurst said in the episode \u201c#8: 1986 ALCS Game Five\u201d of MLB Network\u2019s MLB\u2019s 20 Greatest Games<\/em> (2010). Asking around amongst present-day players and coaches, they seem to agree. Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> left-hander Madison Bumgarner \u2014 a starter who has also pitched in relief during the postseason \u2014 broke it down even further. When closing out a complete game as a starter, he said the final three outs \u2014 at least for him \u2014 were the easiest. But as a reliever, he said, they were the hardest. This raises the question of why. Why is the ninth inning so tough? And why are the last three outs of a game the toughest to get?<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants<\/a> manager Gabe Kapler agreed outs 25, 26, and 27 were the hardest three outs to get, but said the reasons are \u201cvery individual.\u201d He stated, \u201cIf you ask ten different guys\u2026you\u2019ll probably get ten different answers.\u201d He was close. During the Diamondbacks\u2013Giants the last weekend in September, this reporter asked nine different guys and got about a dozen different answers.<\/p>\n

(Note: Everything we say about the ninth inning being tough also applies in extra innings.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Opponent Operates Differently<\/h3>\n

One explanation for why the ninth inning is so tough to close out centers around opponent behavior. The inning simply plays out differently. Teams pull out all stops. If they sat one of their studs, there is a good chance he\u2019ll pinch-hit in the ninth. Consequently, instead of facing a number-eight or number-nine hitter who\u2019s batting close to .200 with two home runs, the pitcher might face the league batting champion or a top-five slugger.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s more. In a spring training interview, Diamondbacks reliever Ian Kennedy said the trailing team in the ninth inning of a close game has \u201cmore sense of urgency\u201d offensively. \u201cThe seventh, eighth, and ninth hitters become better because they want to turn a lineup over. That way the top of the lineup can get in there,\u201d he said. Diamondbacks reliever Joe Mantiply added, \u201cAt that point, everybody knows that\u2019s the end of the game. Everybody\u2019s a little more focused and emptying the tank of what they have (left) to try to win the game.\u201d Diamondbacks reliever Mark Melancon \u2014fourth on the active list in career saves \u2014 agreed with Mantiply. \u201cYour back is up against the wall if you\u2019re down. You\u2019re trying to score runs, and there\u2019s an added pressure on (the pitcher\u2019s) side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mantiply brought up another factor. When entering late in the game, \u201cyou get loose and warm, but the guys you\u2019re facing, that\u2019s usually their third or fourth at-bats of the day. They\u2019re pretty locked in. You\u2019ve got to be able to match their intensity. The hitters are a little more comfortable in what they\u2019re doing that day. Trying to match that is pretty tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amplified Mistakes<\/h3>\n

Another tough aspect of the ninth inning is the tiny margin for error. \u201cOne pitch can change the game,\u201d Melancon said. \u201cEvery little thing you do is critical \u2014 every pitch, every decision. If there happens to be an error, that blows up to be a lot more crucial.\u201d Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo added, \u201cIf your closer is in the game, you know it\u2019s going to be a close game. Anybody that blinks is probably gonna get sucker-punched in the face, and both teams know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamondbacks pitching coach Brent Strom went into more detail. \u201cAs a starter, when you give up runs early, you don’t feel as stressed. You still have time for your offense to come back, even though a run given up in the second inning impacts the score as much as it does in the ninth.”<\/p>\n

Examples<\/h4>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>