A pitcher has to look at the hitter as his mortal enemy.
I believe that you're a hitter first and you're a slugger second type deal.
What is life, after all, but a challenge? And what better challenge can there be than the one between the pitcher and the hitter.
I guess anytime you are mentioned with Hank Aaron, it is the ultimate compliment, not only as a hitter, but obviously, the great ballplayer that he was.
In baseball I was very singularly focused. If I was pitching it was me versus the hitter.
The best compliment you can give a hitter is he's a tough out; that initiates fear in a pitcher.
Maintaining concentration depends on what I call tunnel vision; nothing else in the world exists but the catcher's target, the hitter and my perfect delivery.
I was the most powerful left-handed hitter in the Alameda area.
You see certain guys enough, and you recognize pitches and stuff. Some guys you see better than others.
Mike Laga will make you forget about every power hitter that ever lived.
A good lead-off hitter is a pain in the ass to pitchers.
I know for a stretch, at least nine years, I was one of the best lead-off hitters in baseball
The more pitches you see, the more dangerous you become.
When I wake up in the morning, I don't think of myself as being better than anybody else. I think of myself as a good hitter.
I know when I get to 0-2, 1-2, when I'm ahead in the count, that I hold a distinct advantage over every single hitter. I have so many options because I don't have to work within the strike zone anymore.
I think I'm a guy who loves to play defense. I have a great time in the outfield. I think it's fun robbing guys on hits - there are plenty of times you're gonna be robbed as a hitter.
The biggest thing I want is for the hitter coming up behind me to get a good pitch to hit.
Balls and strikes are the basic tenet to everything in baseball. From the perspective of hitting, pitching, offense and defense, it's all about the strike zone and how the battle is waged there between the pitcher and hitter.
Playing shortstop is 75 to 80 percent anticipation, knowing the hitter and the pitch being thrown.
A pitcher will never be a big winner until he hates hitters.
