Mariano Rivera: Master of the Cutter
Is there anyone on the Yankees roster who is more reliable than Mariano Rivera?
Everyone knows about his famous cutter. But have you ever had the privilege of watching his cutter from directly behind him?
Let me explain.
Almost all major league stadiums are set up with television cameras in left center field. In other words, the view that we are getting is from the right hand side of the pitcher.
This view makes it very difficult to see how much movement different breaking balls have.
I'm not sure which stadium it was from, but I once watched footage of Mariano pitching, where the camera was directly above and behind him. In other words, the view of the camera was a straight line from the pitcher's mound to home plate.
I was stunned by the amount of movement on Mariano's cutter. It started on the inside corner of the strike zone and just zoomed to the outside corner right before it hit the catcher's mitt.
When a regular curve ball has that much movement, batters have time to make an adjustment. But because Mariano's cutter is thrown at fastball speed, hitters hardly stand a chance of recognizing the break until it is way too late.
Thankfully, Mariano continues to perform at a high level. He showed no signs of decline last year.
At 36, he is preparing for the 2006 season in the slow, methodical manner that has served him well for the past several seasons.
2006 is an important year for Mariano and his trusty cutter. If he makes 47 or more relief appearances, the Yankees must pick up a 10.5 million dollar option on him for the 2007 season.
Look for another dominant season from Mo.
- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com
Everyone knows about his famous cutter. But have you ever had the privilege of watching his cutter from directly behind him?
Let me explain.
Almost all major league stadiums are set up with television cameras in left center field. In other words, the view that we are getting is from the right hand side of the pitcher.
This view makes it very difficult to see how much movement different breaking balls have.
I'm not sure which stadium it was from, but I once watched footage of Mariano pitching, where the camera was directly above and behind him. In other words, the view of the camera was a straight line from the pitcher's mound to home plate.
I was stunned by the amount of movement on Mariano's cutter. It started on the inside corner of the strike zone and just zoomed to the outside corner right before it hit the catcher's mitt.
When a regular curve ball has that much movement, batters have time to make an adjustment. But because Mariano's cutter is thrown at fastball speed, hitters hardly stand a chance of recognizing the break until it is way too late.
Thankfully, Mariano continues to perform at a high level. He showed no signs of decline last year.
At 36, he is preparing for the 2006 season in the slow, methodical manner that has served him well for the past several seasons.
2006 is an important year for Mariano and his trusty cutter. If he makes 47 or more relief appearances, the Yankees must pick up a 10.5 million dollar option on him for the 2007 season.
Look for another dominant season from Mo.
- Joshua
InsideTheYankees.com
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