Game Calling, Pitch Sequencing, and Reading Hitter’s Timing

Without a doubt, one of the best perks of working for a baseball team is the access to players, coaches, scouts, and countless others with intimate knowledge of the game. I can’t say enough kind works about the Sky Sox staff who have, over the last six months, imparted a great deal of their knowledge to me about how the game is played. Recently, I sat down with Sky Sox catchers Paul Phillips and Michael McKenry – as well as a number of scouts and coaches – to pen an article on game calling and pitching sequencing; discussing both the basic and the finer aspects of calling a game from behind the plate. The basics can be summed up in two quotes. This first was from McKenry, who remarked, “As my coach once told me, the most important of hitting is comfort and timing – and a catcher’s job is to upset that timing.” Simple enough, right? Don’t let the batter get comfortable or he’ll hurt you. Throw off his timing and you’ll have success. The second came from a very intelligent, long...