Late Innings and Pressure

Adrenaline raises the heart rate and can tighten muscles.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Extra effort speeds the arm and the ball often sails up.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Slow breathing lowers tension and the heart rate.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Tension reduces bat speed and timing.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Staying calm lets a player read the pitch and the play clearly.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

A loud crowd can speed a nervous pitcher up.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Rushing under pressure leads to errors on easy plays.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Breathing first, then focus on the sign.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Close scores, late innings and runners raise the stakes.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

A slow breath steadies the body before a big pitch.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

A fixed routine shuts out distractions in big moments.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Repeating the same steps helps him perform under pressure.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Small habits like adjusting gloves form part of the routine.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Letting go of mistakes keeps the mind on the present.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

A step out of the box lets a hitter clear his head.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Looking at one fixed spot can help a player calm down.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Unfamiliar steps make the moment feel even bigger.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Reset, set up, then focus on the release.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Turn away, a small task, breathe, go again.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Repeating the routine keeps the moment normal.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Over many seasons, players hit much the same in big moments as in others.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Small samples make luck hard to separate from skill.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Dramatic moments are remembered far more than ordinary ones.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Good hitters do well in all moments, including big ones.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

WPA credits plays by how much they raised the team's chance to win.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Late in a close game, a run swings the outcome far more.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Jackson hit three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

A homer that decides the game adds far more than one in a blowout.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Compare like with like, then ask whether the difference is just chance.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Win probability charts show how plays change a team's chances.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

A closer has to pitch again the next day, whatever happened.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

The final outs carry extra weight for many pitchers.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Walks put the tying run on; attacking keeps the bases clear.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

A reliever who enters in a save situation and gives up the lead blows the save.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Rivera retired in 2013 with 652 saves.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Walks in the ninth bring the tying run to the plate.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Thinking pitch by pitch, not about the save, keeps him calm.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Learn the lesson, then let it go.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Rivera 652, Hoffman 601, Eckersley 390.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Closers must put yesterday behind them.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

In a best-of-seven series, a Game 7 decides who moves on.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

With no next game, every arm is available.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Boston beat the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS after losing the first three games.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

The Cubs beat Cleveland in ten innings after a rain delay.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Losing means going home, which raises the pressure.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Mazeroski's 1960 homer won the Series for Pittsburgh.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Carter's homer in Game 6 won Toronto the title.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

1960, 1986 and 1993.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

The more games behind, the harder the comeback.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

In a deciding game, starters can pitch in relief.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Players and fans turn caps inside out hoping for a late rally.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

A walk, a single and an error can grow into a big inning.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

An extra out keeps the inning alive for more hitters.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

A ground ball went through Buckner's legs and the Mets won the game.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Matching better bats to the moment can extend the rally.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Raising the pitch count can bring weaker relievers in.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Teams speak of momentum, though its effect is hard to prove.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Base runners first, then the big hits.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

The bigger the deficit, the bigger the comeback.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

The inside-out rally cap is a baseball superstition.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Home teams win a little more than half of the time.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

In the bottom of the ninth the home team knows the target exactly.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Support can calm and lift a home player.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Odd walls and corners favour the team that plays there daily.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Red Sox fielders learn how balls bounce off the high wall.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Long trips and time zones wear players down.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

The higher seed hosts the deciding games.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Only the home team bats last; both teams play under the same rules.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

The home team wins a little more than half, the visitors a little less.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Fenway's Green Monster is the famous high left-field wall.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

A player suddenly cannot do a routine action, often a throw.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

'Steve Blass disease' became a name for a pitcher losing the strike zone.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Knoblauch moved to left field when his throws went astray.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Ankiel threw wild pitches, then returned to the majors as a centre fielder.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Thinking about a simple motion can freeze it.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Mental-skills work and routines can help a player recover.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

An automatic throw becomes hard once a player thinks about it.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Blass in 1973, Knoblauch from 1999, Ankiel in 2000.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Admit, get help, rebuild, return.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Missing easy throws again and again can point to the yips.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 56 straight games in 1941.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Hershiser threw 59 straight scoreless innings in 1988.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

A slump is a stretch when a player stops getting hits.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Short runs of results are full of random ups and downs.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Some try new bats, gloves or habits to break a slump.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Hard-hit balls can go straight at fielders for a while.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Fans believe a hot player stays hot; studies find only a small effect.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

59 innings, 56 games, at most seven games.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Study, fix, then results return.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Hard contact caught by fielders often signals bad luck.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Imagining a good at-bat or pitch helps prepare the mind.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Mental-skills coaches help with focus, confidence and pressure.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Replacing negative thoughts with helpful ones can steady a player.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

A player controls his effort and plan, not the outcome.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Ravizza co-wrote 'Heads-Up Baseball' and worked with many big-league clubs.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Notes show what worked and what did not.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Focusing on the current pitch avoids worry about past or future.

Source: General baseball reference · recall

Plan, picture, calm, focus.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Routine is fully his; a hit also depends on the defence.

Source: General baseball reference · applied

Picturing success is a common mental-skills tool.

Source: General baseball reference · applied