Comments on: Pettitte’s Fastballs

By: MarkS

MarkS — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:23:48 +0000

Ahhh…ok. As a former pitcher, I always see them the other way (from the pitcher’s perspective). Thanks for the clarification.

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:47:08 +0000

Dave, nice analysis.

Can you do this for his first half vs. second half splits? There could be serious sample size issues, but I believe he was a very different pitcher after the all-star break. Did his peripherals support this hypothesis?

By: Dave Allen

Dave Allen — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:39:17 +0000

Yeah this is what I have in the text and images. The images are from the catcher’s perspective (as mine always are and as most pitchf/x people display it). So a RHB stand to the left of the image and a LHB to the right.

By: MarkS

MarkS — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:33:55 +0000

Um….I think the 2 seamer is in to LHBs and away to RHBs while the Cutter is away from LHBs and in to RHBs. If you flip the color schemes for the two pitches (cutters are dark blue and 2 seamers are light blue) then this matches up better. It wouldn’t make sense for a LHP to throw cutters inside to LHBs and away from RHBs.

Good analysis. Keep up the great work.

By: Dave Allen

Dave Allen — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:25:45 +0000

Oh yeah, I had that mixed up. Thanks for calling it to my attention I changed it in the post.

By: Eric Cioe

Eric Cioe — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:12:06 +0000

“The two-seam is thrown to his glove-side (away to RHBs and in to LHBs) and the cut fastball down and to his arm-side (in to RHBs and away to RHBs), while his four-seam thrown in a larger area within the zone, but generally up and to his arm-side.”

That doesn’t make a lick of sense. How is a lefty’s glove side away to a right handed batter?