The inside move

The inside move is a move that all pitchers should practice and use on many occassions.

With a runner on 2nd base, the pitcher lifts his leg and spins in the direction of his back leg. The move his inherently designed to be deceptive and yet it is not a balk as long as the front leg lands behind the pitchers rubber.

The move can be very effective if the pitcher suspects that a bunt might be on. In fact this move often preceeds very aggressive bunt defenses as it allows the manager to see if the opposing team squares early and therefore tips their hand.

The inside move is also a very effective move to thwart a steal of 3rd base. When runners attempt to steal 3rd they usually turn to run as the pitcher lifts his leg. This move is used to get would be base stealers caught in no mans land as the pitcher turns to find the runner caught in pickle. This is usually a 1 out situation as the runner is attempting to get to 3rd base with 1 out.

Another manner in which the move should be implemented is when the infield is in a "best range" defense. Man on 2nd, 2 out and the infield is deep to prevent a base hit from scoring that runner. Rather than have the middle infielders jockey the runner, the pitcher should occassionally show an inside move to slow his secondary lead.

The final way in which this move should be used is what a call a "no brainer" move. 1st and 2nd, 3-2 count on the batter and 2 outs. The runners are running on the pitch so why not see if the lead runner has the discipline to make sure the pitcher does in fact throw home.

At the high school level, we pick off on average 5 runners a year because of the inside move. Very effective but it must be practiced.