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what is that silence before the pitch? by jake levins, wetumpka high school, alabama
Chris Carpenter stands on the mound as 40,000 fans scream. At first, he hears the roar, and then all goes silent. Receiving the sign from the catcher, he shuffles the ball in his hand until he finds the correct grip, goes through his wind up, and delivers a devastating slider under the hands of the batter. Baseball, it’s a game of focus.
In baseball, focus can be the deciding factor in a game. Mariano Rivera, the closer for the New York Yankees, throws his infamous cut fastball across the outside corner of the plate for the last out of the clinching game in the World Series. If he somehow would have become distracted, that pitch could have sailed across the middle of the plate and then quickly out of the stadium, potentially costing his team the game. Focus can also be simply knowing the situation in a game, knowing what I will do if the ball is hit to me. One of the top MLB prospects in the nation, Reggie Golden, Wetumpka High’s own right fielder, belts a outside fastball over the center field fence against our cross-county rival, Stanhope Elmore. He can do this not only because he is freakishly powerful, but also because he focuses on making solid contact. Focus is about only thinking about the moment occurring right now. What makes the best ball players in the world different from all of the rest? They realize the importance of keeping their mind focused on the present (Cohn). This concept does not only apply to individuals however. |
Focus applies to the whole team.
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| Focus also applies to an entire team. Derek Jeter, all-star shortstop for the New York Yankees, said this about his team, “Our focus is one game at a time.” (Cohn) That is probably why the Yankees have won more World Series titles than any other franchise in baseball. Last year, the Colorado Rockies won 19 out of 20 games to end the season, torpedoing them into the playoffs. Was this team focused on what they needed to do? I should think so. Another thing about team focus is that all of the individuals have to be focused on the same thing. Coach Ray Mullino who played for the Peoria Cubs in AAA says that focus is the building block of unity in baseball (Mullino). A few years ago, the Boston Red Sox played the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Trailing in the series three games to none, the Red Sox rallied in Game 4 to overcome a deficit late in the game. The Red Sox went on to win the ALCS and eventually the World Series. Throughout the course of these events the members of the Red Sox never started taking shots at each other or their manager, but stayed focused on what they needed to do- win games. So, focus factors into the amount of success had by an individual and a team. |
Focus in the immediacy of a game occurs when a hush seems to
overtake the field. The player hears nothing and does not want to.
As I walk to the plate, I can hear my mother shout, “Hit it hard
baby!” Trying to shake off my embarrassment, I enter the batter’s
box. At first, I can hear my teammates, coaches, and the fans
shouting, but as soon as the pitcher starts his wind up, everything
seems as if it is in slow motion. I can’t hear the screams; all I
care about is smashing the baseball. So, focus is that moment when a
player does not know that anybody or anything else exists.
Focus is not a physical part of the game of baseball such as a bat,
ball, or helmet, but it is even more important. Focus allows us to
hit the ball and throw a pitch where to a desired destination.
Dynamic, intense- baseball demands complete devotion of
concentration from individuals and teams. Championships are won and
lost with focus or the lack thereof. Focus, it’s what baseball is
all about.
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