Fire First-Pitch Strikes
Get Ahead in the Count (And Your Day)
The early morning has gold in its mouth.
Benjamin Franklin
I never fully appreciated how important first-pitch strikes were until my kids started pitching. When they get that first toss over the plate, it is like they are throwing downhill the rest of the at-bat. I definitely relax more as a dad when they start ahead in the count.
A 2023 MLB statistical study validates the criticality of that first pitch – 93% of first-pitch strikes lead to an out (ground out, fly out) or strike one. 69% of strikeouts start with first-pitch strikes, while 70% of walks begin with first-pitch balls1.
This trend extends to how well a pitcher fares against the leadoff hitter of an inning. The team at bat starts an inning expected to score 0.476 runs (a stat called “run expectancy”). If the leadoff hitter gets to first on a hit or walk, the hitting team is expected to score 0.865 runs – a jump of 82%! Conversely, if the pitcher retires that first batter, the hitting team’s expected run total drops to 0.254 runs – a decline of 47%. If the pitcher gets the first two batters out, it sinks another 62% to a minuscule 0.097 runs2.
I see the same pattern happen in my daily life. If I don’t attack my to-do list in the early morning, there is a good chance that I won’t complete several key items that day. By starting late, you leave yourself susceptible to distractions and the unexpected things that pop up daily. Your window for working out, journaling, or whatever you want to do quickly closes. You tell yourself that you will do it that night after work or after you help the kids to bed, but it doesn’t happen.
This situation happened to me last week when I decided to catch up on my sleep and wake up a little later than usual on a Saturday morning. Shortly after starting my morning routine of reading my daily devotionals, my son was awake and calling me to the living room to watch the previous night’s baseball highlights – “Dad, come quick, you have to see this play that Gunnar Henderson made!” I lasted about twenty seconds before I walked in and started watching with him. Before I knew what hit me, my son and the MLB app had sucked me into a couple of quick game recaps, and my daughter was walking down the stairs, peppering me with questions about our plans for the day.
I was off schedule, and the morning tasks that are typically easy for me were becoming a struggle. I went to the kitchen to continue my routine but was now in multitasking mode. Little things were taking much longer than usual, and my frustration mounted. I could see the likelihood of my daily workout quickly vanishing. I had to push through it because I knew that even such minor resistance is enough to stop me.
While reading recently with my kids, I came across the following passage in Johnny Tremain:
Although Paul Revere was as busy a man as there was in all Boston, he took everything so easily in his stride (doing the one thing after another) that he never seemed rushed, so now, because an apprentice stopped him on the street and said he wanted to talk to him, he appeared to have all the time in the world.
That description of Revere rang true – I loved the idea of not feeling rushed and having time to focus better and connect with others.
By all accounts, UCLA coach John Wooden had this quality. There are numerous stories about Coach Wooden taking time out of his day to talk to young coaches who randomly approached him at a basketball camp. And there are many tales of him signing basketballs, books, and posters for visitors to his condo. Coach Wooden insisted on signing everything first, followed by a warm, unhurried conversation. I stumbled upon an amusing story from 2009 where Wooden’s family issued a press release imploring fans to stop sending items to the 98-year-old legend to autograph so it wouldn’t affect his health. And it wasn’t like Coach Wooden was sitting around with nothing to do – he had already written 12 books after age 90!
Coach Wooden was known for waking up early for quiet time to pray, read, and reflect. He had meticulous attention to detail, taking the time every morning to map out his team’s practices minute-by-minute so the team wasted no time.
If you are frustrated with how your days tend to go, fire some early morning strikes by staying focused and quickly knocking out some items on your to-do list. Get ahead in your day, allowing yourself to be more relaxed and in the moment for your loved ones. Give yourself some extra space within “this day the Lord has made.”
1 – The Value of 1st Pitch Strikes (April 28, 2023)
2 – Adjusting for the Current Run Expectancy Matrix (November 17, 2022)
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