Top Inspirational Quotes Every Pitcher Should Know

### Elevate Your Game with Wisdom from Baseball Legends Pitching is as much a mental game as it is physical. To inspire and motivate pitchers at every level, we've compiled a powerful collection of quotes from some of the greatest baseball minds. These words of wisdom highlight the importance of focus, resilience, and strategy on the mound. ### Learn from the Masters From Satchel Paige's philosophy of keeping the ball away from the bat to Sandy Koufax's insights on pitching with intention, these quotes offer invaluable lessons. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, these inspirational sayings will help you sharpen your mindset and approach. ### Fuel Your Passion and Perseverance Pitching requires dedication, mental toughness, and a love for the game. Let these quotes remind you to embrace challenges, keep practicing, and never give up. Every pitcher can find motivation here to push through tough moments and strive for excellence.

Wisdom from the Masters

"Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Throw strikes. Home plate don’t move."

- Satchel Paige

Determination

"The reason I think I’m a good pitcher is I locate my fastball and I change speeds. Period. That's what you do to pitch. That’s what pitchers have to do to win games."

- Greg Maddux

Philosophy

"Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical."

- Yogi Berra

Wisdom

"My job isn’t to strike guys out; it’s to get them out - sometimes by striking them out."

- Tom Seaver

Philosophy

"When you step into the batter's box, have nothing on your mind except baseball."

- Pete Rose

Focus

"I’m a huge advocate of pitching. You have to have good pitching as the solid core, the foundation. It keeps you in every game."

- Tom Seaver

Belief

"A guy that throws what he intends to throw, that’s the definition of a good pitcher."

- Sandy Koufax

Integrity

"You cant think and hit at the same time."

- Yogi Berra

Focus

"There's nothing wrong with pitch counts. But when it’s spit out by a computer, the computer does not look at an individual's mechanics. And you can’t look at his genes. It should come from the individual and the pitching coach and the manager."

- Tom Seaver

Insight

"Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing."

- Javier Báez

Success

"I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it."

- Sandy Koufax

Adaptation

"Mental attitude and concentration are the keys to pitching"

- Ferguson Jenkins

Mindfulness

"This ain't fun. But you watch me, I'll get it done."

- Jackie Robinson

Determination

"My pitching philosophy is simple - keep the ball away from the bat."

- Satchel Paige

Philosophy

"If you’re not practicing, somebody else is, somewhere, and he’ll be ready to take your job."

- Brooks Robinson

Determination

"A winner is somebody who goes out there every day and exhausts himself trying to get something accomplished.."

- Joe Torre

Determination

"You may not think you’re going to make it. You may want to quit. But if you keep your eye on the ball, you can accomplish anything."

- Hank Aaron

Perseverance

"Nobody wanted me. Scouts told me to go to school, to forget baseball. Coaches said, ‘You’re never going to make it.’ I appreciated their honesty because I think when someone tells you something you may not like, you have to use that as fuel for motivation."

- Mike Piazza

Adversity

"Never allow the circumstances of your life to become an excuse. People will allow you to do it. But I believe we have a personal obligation to make the most of the abilities we have."

- Jim Abbott

Empowerment

"If you’re not practicing, somebody else is, somewhere, and he’ll be ready to take your job. I want people to expect more from me because I expect more. If you don’t set goals high, you’re not trying."

- Todd Helton

Goals

"To succeed in baseball, as in life, you must make adjustments."

- Ken Griffey Jr.

Adaptation

"Do what you love to do and give it your very best. Whether it’s business or baseball, or the theater, or any field. If you don’t love what you’re doing and you can’t give it your best, get out of it. Life is too short."

- Al Lopez

Empowerment

"When I played ball, I didn’t play for fun… It’s no pink tea, and Mollycoddles had better stay out. It’s a contest and everything that implies, a struggle for supremacy, a survival of the fittest."

- Ty Cobb

Courage

"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."

- Babe Ruth

Courage

"Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there."

- Bo Jackson

Goals

"One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something."

- Nolan Ryan

Courage

"Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is."

- Bullet Bob Feller

Growth

"Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way."

- Satchel Paige

Resilience

"I'd walk through hell in a gasoline suit to play baseball."

- Pete Rose

Bravery

"Mental attitude and concentration are the keys to pitching."

- Ferguson Jenkins

Focus

"There are so many people out there who will tell you that you can’t. What you’ve got to do is turn about and say ‘Watch me’."

- Bryce Harper

Boldness

"The greatest battles are fought and won within the depths of one's own mind."

- Babe Ruth

Mindfulness

"Baseball is a game of mental toughness and confidence."

- Derek Jeter

Belief in Self

"The mental game is just as important as the physical one."

- Mike Trout

Balance

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination"

- Tommy LaSorda

Determination

"What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle, and giving 110 percent all the time."

- Don Zimmer

Determination

"There may be people that have more talent than you, but there is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do."

- Derek Jeter

Determination

"You can’t let the failures get you down. Learn from them, stay positive, and never give up."

- Buster Posey

Resilience

"Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing."

- Warren Spahn

Insight

"One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something"

- Nolan Ryan

Courage

"If you want something enough and work hard to get it, your chances of success are greater"

- Ted Williams

Motivation

"Basically, hitters fall into a pattern, and once you know what they like, you can set them up for the putout with something else."

- Tom Seaver

Insight

"Baseball is a game of failure. It's about how you respond to it that matters."

- Alex Rodriguez

Resilience

"Pitching is the art of instilling fear."

- Sandy Koufax

Courage

"Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you,"

- Satchel Paige

Focus

"To get the feel of how the slider should roll off of your index finger, use this grip and practice at half speed and roughly half the distance to the mound."

- Steve Carlton

Education

"The final release point for the fastball is the tips of your fingers"

- Steve Carlton

Knowledge

"Everything I was, physically, and mentally, that’s what I put on that field."

- Steve Carlton

Determination

"The pitcher has to find out if the hitter is timid, and if he is timid, he has to remind the hitter he’s timid."

- Don Drysdale

Insight

"That’s how you win - pitching and defense."

- Derek Jeter

Teamwork

"No baseball pitcher would be worth a darn without a catcher who could handle the hot fastball."

- Casey Stengel

Teamwork

"My approach every game is to try to keep the ball down and get ground ball outs"

- Jacob deGrom

Philosophy

"There is no set numerical value you can put on a pitcher. They’re all different"

- Tom Seaver

Insight

"I never threw an illegal pitch. The trouble is, once in a while I toss one that ain’t never been seen by this generation."

- Satchel Paige

Originality

"I think all of us are thankful every day we get to put this uniform on, and we play this game. So try not to take any days for granted. Every time you take the field, give a hundred percent and leave it all out there."

- Jacob deGrom

Gratitude

"If my uniform doesn't get dirty, I haven't done anything in the baseball game."

- Rickey Henderson

Hard Work

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

- Albert Pujols

Happiness

"Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer."

- Ted Williams

Success

"I always try to do the best I can in every at-bat, every game. Just try to be consistent."

- Mike Trout

Determination

"You don't just accidentally show up in the World Series."

- Anthony Rizzo

Ambition

"It's not about the name on the back of the jersey; it's about the name on the front."

- David Wright

Teamwork

"You can't worry about what people say about you. You just have to go out and do your job, and that's what I focus on."

- Manny Machado

Focus

"I'm not afraid to fail. I'm not afraid to fall over and make a mistake."

- Dustin Pedroia

Courage

"I don't care about three hits in a game; I care about going 3-for-4 and helping the team win."

- Christian Yelich

Teamwork

"I want to be the best. I want to be the best at what I do."

- Cody Bellinger

Ambition

"You've got to have fun. Regardless of how you feel inside, you've got to project positive energy."

- Manny Ramirez

Joy

"You can't let the highs be too high and the lows be too low."

- Ryan Howard

Balance

"You've got to love the process."

- Mike Soroka

Contentment

"You've got to have that edge to compete at the highest level."

- Gerrit Cole

Courage

"There's always room for improvement, no matter how long you've been in the game."

- Justin Verlander

Growth

"If you have a bad day in baseball, and start thinking about it, you will have 10 more."

- Sammy Sosa

Mindfulness

"Never say never in this game because crazy stuff can happen."

- Mark Buehrle

Optimism

"Remember two things: play hard and have fun."

- Tony Gwynn

Joy

"It isn’t hard to be good from time to time in sports. What is tough is being good every day"

- Willie Mays

Persistence

"I think about baseball when I wake up in the morning. I think about it all day and I dream about it at night. The only time I don’t think about it is when I’m playing it."

- Carl Yastrzemski

Ambition

"People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."

- Rogers Hornsby

Hope

"Never permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure."

- Joe Maddon

Balance

"A person always doing his or her best becomes a natural leader, just by example."

- Joe DiMaggio

Leadership

"If a ballplayer is satisfied, he’s going to slip. You have to keep fighting to improve."

- Nellie Fox

Personal Growth

"When you get up to the plate, nobody’s there to help you. You’ve got to do this on your own."

- Ichiro Suzuki

Independence

"You don’t save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow it may rain."

- Leo Durocher

Motivation

"Every strike brings me closer to the next home run."

- Babe Ruth

Perseverance

"You cant sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."

- Earl Weaver

Belief in Self

"The best possible thing in baseball is winning the World Series. The second best thing is losing the World Series."

- Tommy Lasorda

Success

"Don't worry about your individual numbers. Worry about the team. If the team is successful, each of you will be successful, too."

- Branch Rickey

Teamwork

"Pitch within yourself."

- Tom Seaver

Self-awareness

"Associate with those who help you believe in yourself."

- Brooks Robinson

Empowerment

"Be on time. Bust your butt. Play smart. And have some laughs along the way."

- Whitey Herzog

Balance

"Good pitching will always stop good hitting and vice-versa."

- Casey Stengel

Balance

"Whenever we had career day at elementary school, and we could dress up like what you wanted to be when I got on stage, mine was playing major league baseball."

- Jacob deGrom

Aspirations

"Normally when I look at stuff, I try to look at the good things. When I watch video, I try to watch the good starts so I can see how my mechanics are in those."

- Jacob deGrom

Self-awareness

"You never want to see a guy struggle. And we’ve all struggled. It’s part of the game."

- Jacob deGrom

Adversity

"You have to have a lot of little boy in you to play baseball for a living."

- Roy Campanella

Joy

"But I would say basically, I would just like to be remembered for what I did on the field"

- Steve Carlton

Reflection

"I had 12 years under my belt of baseball at the amateur level before I got to the big leagues"

- Tom Seaver

Persistence

"In baseball, you don't know nothin'."

- Yogi Berra

Awareness

"You gotta be a man to play baseball for a living, but you gotta have a lot of little boy in you, too."

- Roy Campanella

Balance

"Poets are like baseball pitchers. Both have their moments. The intervals are the tough things."

- Robert Lee Frost

Creativity

Bite-sized Inspirational Quotes

"Respecting the human struggle in between life’s big moments"

Compassion

"Baseball is the only place in life where a sacrifice is really appreciated."

Contentment

"An unshakeable self-belief"

Belief in Self

"A resilient mindset focused on the present"

Mindfulness

"Intense preparation and concentration"

Focus

"Attacking life’s challenges aggressively but with balance"

Balance

"The future is ahead of you, so keep moving forward."

Vision