A Warm-Up Checklist for Pitchers

Ex-Cardinal Mark Littell shares his routine before entering the game.

How you pitch during a game is usually a reflection of how you pitch while warming up before the game.

Here's a checklist you can use each time while warming up before a game, told to us by Mark Littell, who pitched 9 seasons between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals and had a 3.32 career ERA.

While warming up, the emphasis is on keeping the ball down in the strike zone (as it will be during the game). So as you begin your warm-ups, just try to keep the ball low and down the middle, before trying to work the ball inside and out.

Then work the following sequence of pitches:

Fast balls (7):
- 3 down the middle
- 2 away
- 2 in

Change-ups (5):
- 2 down the middle
- 1 away
- 1 in

Breaking balls (6)
(Note: Only if you throw them during the game)
- 2 with Catcher standing in front of the plate
- 1 down the middle
- 1 away
- 1 in
- 1 fastball down the middle
Another note: If you pitch in a league where throwing from the stretch is allowed, repeat this sequence from the stretch.

Repeat pitches in sequence (8)
- 2 fastballs down and away
- 2 breaking balls
- 2 fastballs down and in
- 2 change-ups

Pitchouts (2)
- 1 to left-handed hitter
- 1 to right-handed hitter

Finish with fastballs (4)
- 1 away
- 1 in
- 2 down the middle

This sequence is done only after you've played catch and maybe done some long-toss, too. So, depending on whether you also work from the stretch, you'll be throwing the equivalent of three to four innings of pitches before you take the mound to start the game.

Understand that warming up in the bullpen before the game conditions your body for the job at hand, but not your mind. Take the minutes after you warm up and before the game begins to sit in the dugout, by yourself if you need to, to let your mind "warm up" by focusing on the game, the opposing team's hitters and all the rest of what you have to do to help your team win.

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