The First Game

[Parr8hed]

Em's first time on the mound (since really getting serious with the pitching lessons this winter) was Monday night.  We have a pitching machine/no-walk rule in this league.  If the pitcher gets to 3 balls then the batter can try to hit off the machine.  This saves rookie pitchers from having a walk-fest.  Half way through the season we get rid of the machine.  

Emmy's first two innings saw 5 strike outs and one ground out that she fielded and threw out.  It was a little dibble that came off the end of someone's bat on a low 0-2 pitch.  She threw 11 pitches in the first!

Her 3rd inning saw two strike outs and one that went to the machine.  The girl grounded out to 2nd.    Nobody on base for her 3 innings.  

We switched pitchers in the 4th and actually managed 5 innings!!!  Last year we had hardly any good pitchers in the league.  It would be rare to get out of the 2nd inning with most at bats going to the machine.  It was pretty amazing to go to 5 innings in the first game of the season!  

The littles that are just coming up from machine pitch softball last year to kid pitch looked like a deer in the headlights when Emmy was on the mound.  When she pitched the ball was smacking the glove before the poor girls even had time to jump out of the box (as is normal with kids of this age).  The very first pitch of the game smacked the glove before the batter even knew what to do.  She stepped out of the box and gave her coach a WTF? look.    He just yelled, "Get in there and hit it!"  
 

It was 42 degrees.  COLD for softball.  Tonight's game should be 65 or so.  I don't think that she is pitching tonight.  She'll prob play 1B or catch.  We'll see.  Anyways, I couldn't be prouder.

[Ralphie ★]

My main memory of Little League is the pitcher who just aboot always smoked us completely. All strikes, no or few balls, and the only contact maybe a foul tip. The foul tipper was the game hero.

[Reverend_Maynard]

Is there a time limit or something that would prevent a game from going past the 2nd inning?

[donkpow]

"machine pitch softball"

I have never heard of this. Is that an Indiana thing?

[Parr8hed]

40 minutes ago, Reverend_Maynard said:

Is there a time limit or something that would prevent a game from going past the 2nd inning?

Yes, 70 min time limit.  

[Parr8hed]

38 minutes ago, donkpow said:

"machine pitch softball"

I have never heard of this. Is that an Indiana thing?

I don't know?  It's pretty standard around Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky where we play.  Typically 8U plays machine pitch.  Coach feeds the ball.  I think we set it on 38 mph.  Looks like this.  

 

[donkpow]

19 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

I don't know?  It's pretty standard around Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky where we play.  Typically 8U plays machine pitch.  Coach feeds the ball.  I think we set it on 38 mph.  Looks like this.  

 

Hm, thanks. I remember seeing kids starting out with T-ball. I thought it was odd but I don't have kids, so. This seems odd to me, too. I don't have kids, though.

 

[Longjohn ★]

My boys did little league a few years. The little kids had their own coach pitching to them. That was fine, the big kids had a regular pitcher which was also fine. The problem was the first year the kids graduated from coach pitching nobody had a kid that could pitch. Walk fest was a good name for it. They didn’t have a time limit and I would still be there waiting if it wasn’t for the klutzy kid on each team that would swing at anything and strike out. It was painful to watch.

[ChrisL]

42 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

I don't know?  It's pretty standard around Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky where we play.  Typically 8U plays machine pitch.  Coach feeds the ball.  I think we set it on 38 mph.  Looks like this.  

 

We have it out here too both for baseball and softball. Neither of my kids played it at this level.  

So cool to hear about Em, happy for you man!  I miss those days.

[pedalphile]

2 hours ago, Parr8hed said:

Em's first time on the mound (since really getting serious with the pitching lessons this winter) was Monday night.  We have a pitching machine/no-walk rule in this league.  If the pitcher gets to 3 balls then the batter can try to hit off the machine.  This saves rookie pitchers from having a walk-fest.  Half way through the season we get rid of the machine.  

Emmy's first two innings saw 5 strike outs and one ground out that she fielded and threw out.  It was a little dibble that came off the end of someone's bat on a low 0-2 pitch.  She threw 11 pitches in the first!

Her 3rd inning saw two strike outs and one that went to the machine.  The girl grounded out to 2nd.    Nobody on base for her 3 innings.  

We switched pitchers in the 4th and actually managed 5 innings!!!  Last year we had hardly any good pitchers in the league.  It would be rare to get out of the 2nd inning with most at bats going to the machine.  It was pretty amazing to go to 5 innings in the first game of the season!  

The littles that are just coming up from machine pitch softball last year to kid pitch looked like a deer in the headlights when Emmy was on the mound.  When she pitched the ball was smacking the glove before the poor girls even had time to jump out of the box (as is normal with kids of this age).  The very first pitch of the game smacked the glove before the batter even knew what to do.  She stepped out of the box and gave her coach a WTF? look.    He just yelled, "Get in there and hit it!"  
 

It was 42 degrees.  COLD for softball.  Tonight's game should be 65 or so.  I don't think that she is pitching tonight.  She'll prob play 1B or catch.  We'll see.  Anyways, I couldn't be prouder.

I could follow some of that and it sounds like she did really well and you have good reason to be a proud father.

I like that you have one of each and are supporting them both through their sports.

[Parr8hed]

42 minutes ago, donkpow said:

Hm, thanks. I remember seeing kids starting out with T-ball. I thought it was odd but I don't have kids, so. This seems odd to me, too. I don't have kids, though.

 

kids start in t ball around 5 years old.  6-8 they go to coach pitch or machine pitch depending on which park you go to.  Coach pitch is really good, but has a lot of problems.  It teaches kids to look for the ball, that not every pitch is perfect.  The machine is much faster, but it places it at the same spot every time.  Teaches kids to swing faster and hit harder, but not look for the ball.  The problem is when coach is good enough to know where to place the ball with each pitch.  Too many coaches just throw easy lobs in there to get hits and runs, but it does nothing to develop the hitters.  They both have advantages and disadvantages.  Once you get 9-10 its kid pitch.  

[Parr8hed]

41 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

My boys did little league a few years. The little kids had their own coach pitching to them. That was fine, the big kids had a regular pitcher which was also fine. The problem was the first year the kids graduated from coach pitching nobody had a kid that could pitch. Walk fest was a good name for it. They didn’t have a time limit and I would still be there waiting if it wasn’t for the klutzy kid on each team that would swing at anything and strike out. It was painful to watch.

That's where it's really nice to have the machine out there.  Kid tries to pitch.  If he can, great.  If he can't, go to machine.  But at least kids are pitching and trying to swing the bat.  At least they know that they are NOT going to get walked just by standing up there holding the bat.  

[Parr8hed]

49 minutes ago, donkpow said:

Hm, thanks. I remember seeing kids starting out with T-ball. I thought it was odd but I don't have kids, so. This seems odd to me, too. I don't have kids, though.

 

And also, the machine is set at 35-38 mph for 8U.  I think it goes up to like 42 mph for all stars and 10U.  Emmy has been gunned at 56 mph.  

[ChrisL]

4 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

That's where it's really nice to have the machine out there.  Kid tries to pitch.  If he can, great.  If he can't, go to machine.  But at least kids are pitching and trying to swing the bat.  At least they know that they are NOT going to get walked just by standing up there holding the bat.  

My son started with T ball but just couldn't focus at that age (he was the kid doing kung fu moves in the outfield totally oblivious to the game). We did soccer and basketball until he was around 9 and then went back to baseball.  

Reading this brought back memories of those days where the kids couldn't locate and the games would drag on.  I recall once the team batted through the order that was it, next team bats as rarely were they able to get 3 outs.

My daughter never played youth softball.  When my son was at practice I had my daughter out there with the team and we played catch and I tossed her a ton BP but always overhand with a baseball.  Her first organized game of softball was when she was in HS.  She even made varisity as a freshman but didn't start until her Sophomore year.  The only reason she made varsity is she could hit left handed. Coach turned her into a lead off hitter who could slap hit as she was blazing fast.

[Parr8hed]

1 hour ago, ChrisL said:

 

My daughter never played youth softball.  When my son was at practice I had my daughter out there with the team and we played catch and I tossed her a ton BP but always overhand with a baseball.  Her first organized game of softball was when she was in HS.  She even made varisity as a freshman but didn't start until her Sophomore year.  The only reason she made varsity is she could hit left handed. Coach turned her into a lead off hitter who could slap hit as she was blazing fast.

There are several girls that are just starting out in our league.  Want to play middle school ball.  Parents ask me what to do.  Obviously play catch in the front yard....

But unless you are a stud pitcher or catcher the only thing that a coach in middle/high school wants to see is OBP.  I have at least 2 young little fast things that I have told parents to go to hitting lessons, turn them around to leftie and take up slap hitting.  That's the easiest way to make middle school team.  Both girls did this and are both playing on pretty decent travel programs now.  

[sheep_herder ★]

Happy for you all!

[ChrisL]

37 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

There are several girls that are just starting out in our league.  Want to play middle school ball.  Parents ask me what to do.  Obviously play catch in the front yard....

But unless you are a stud pitcher or catcher the only thing that a coach in middle/high school wants to see is OBP.  I have at least 2 young little fast things that I have told parents to go to hitting lessons, turn them around to leftie and take up slap hitting.  That's the easiest way to make middle school team.  Both girls did this and are both playing on pretty decent travel programs now.  

I'll never forget my daughters first hit, a slap bloop shot over the pitcher's head and landed in no man's land between 2nd and short.  She was in the bag before anyone gloved the ball.

You can appreciate this one... She played center and her Jr year the left fielder (well both corners) were weak.  A towering fly ball was hit in foul territory on the 3rd base side.  I'm watching the left fielder thinking oh man terrible read, she'll never catch it.  And she didn't but what I didn't see was my daughter sprinting over from center and was 1/2 step away as the ball dropped.  If the left fielder wasn't in her way she could have caught it.

[Parr8hed]

1 hour ago, ChrisL said:

 

You can appreciate this one... She played center and her Jr year the left fielder (well both corners) were weak.  A towering fly ball was hit in foul territory on the 3rd base side.  I'm watching the left fielder thinking oh man terrible read, she'll never catch it.  And she didn't but what I didn't see was my daughter sprinting over from center and was 1/2 step away as the ball dropped.  If the left fielder wasn't in her way she could have caught it.

That's awesome!