The 604 is based on the idea that opposing pitchers are going to be in for a very long day. The picture to the right is a visual cue as to the frustration we want to build up inside the opposing pitcher. We want to build exhaustion into the opposing pitcher until he makes some mistakes and cooks his own goose much like the Supreme Court was doing to Roger Clemens.
In 2006 our ball club was up and down throughout the first two thirds of the season. The biggest problem we were having was our inability to hit the ball consistently. In fact, as a team we were hitting well below .300 heading into the last 7 regular season games of the year. We needed to find ourselves and have something to hang our hat on at the plate as we prepared for the State Tournament.
Out of necessity the 604 was born. I am not claiming to have invented this idea because teams have been using similar systems for as long as the game has been around. I am simply stating the way we changed our approach at the plate and changed our fortune on the field.
Let me first give you the reasons why we made a change to our approach at the plate. We were struggling scoring runs. We could not get enough guys on and when we did we couldn't get them in. As each inning went by I could see our team pressing more and more. It was like they were playing in quick sand. Our players would begin feeling increasing amounts of pressure as the game would move along if they did not score. The harder they pressed the deeper they sank.
You could see it on their faces and in their body language. We had two glaring problems staring us in the face. One, at best we were an average hitting ball club. We had a few hitters who were solid and others who still needed work. Second, the few hitters we had really began to press because they felt like they had to hit if we had any chance at winning. This only made things harder on them.
So the question became how do we relax our players and at the same time give ourselves the best chance to score runs. We had always been a very aggressive hitting program but we needed a new gameplan. The game plan we came up with was the 604. The concept was to drive the pitchers pitch count up to 60 pitches by the 4th inning. It has always been my belief that once a pitcher gets to 60 pitches he begins to tire. If he is a horse and can throw 7 strong innings then the concept still works because your hitters will see a lot of pitches and make adjustments.
In 2006 our ball club was up and down throughout the first two thirds of the season. The biggest problem we were having was our inability to hit the ball consistently. In fact, as a team we were hitting well below .300 heading into the last 7 regular season games of the year. We needed to find ourselves and have something to hang our hat on at the plate as we prepared for the State Tournament.
Out of necessity the 604 was born. I am not claiming to have invented this idea because teams have been using similar systems for as long as the game has been around. I am simply stating the way we changed our approach at the plate and changed our fortune on the field.
Let me first give you the reasons why we made a change to our approach at the plate. We were struggling scoring runs. We could not get enough guys on and when we did we couldn't get them in. As each inning went by I could see our team pressing more and more. It was like they were playing in quick sand. Our players would begin feeling increasing amounts of pressure as the game would move along if they did not score. The harder they pressed the deeper they sank.
You could see it on their faces and in their body language. We had two glaring problems staring us in the face. One, at best we were an average hitting ball club. We had a few hitters who were solid and others who still needed work. Second, the few hitters we had really began to press because they felt like they had to hit if we had any chance at winning. This only made things harder on them.
So the question became how do we relax our players and at the same time give ourselves the best chance to score runs. We had always been a very aggressive hitting program but we needed a new gameplan. The game plan we came up with was the 604. The concept was to drive the pitchers pitch count up to 60 pitches by the 4th inning. It has always been my belief that once a pitcher gets to 60 pitches he begins to tire. If he is a horse and can throw 7 strong innings then the concept still works because your hitters will see a lot of pitches and make adjustments.
We wanted one of three things happen:
#1 - To get to the other teams bullpen
#2 - To fatigue the opposing pitcher and catch him before they took him out
#3 - If #1 or #2 didn't work then we would have confidence facing him late in the game because we have seen his arsenal. By that time we may have picked up him tipping pitches as well.
We knew this would not be easy but we convinced the players how our season would change with this new approach. They were looking for answers and had trust in our program so it was not a hard sell. Now we had to figure out the process by which we would drive up pitch counts and change our players mindsets.
The 604 Team Hitting Concept Rules:
Rule #1: Take a strike unless it was an RBI situation. If there was a runner on second or third you would hit with an aggressive approach.
Rule #2: No curveballs until you had 2 strikes. If it was an RBI situation then no curve balls until 1 strike and then you could be aggressive and hit a curveball up.
Rule #3: 3-1 was a take pitch unless it was an RBI situation.
Rule #4: Once the opposing pitcher gets to 60 pitches we open back up to our aggressive approach. It will stay that way the rest of the game regardless if they change pitchers or not.
That's it's, 4 rules! I realize it isn't a new and earth shattering idea but we set it up in the following manner. I told our team that we would focus on scoring runs in the 5th, 6th, and 7th inning. I even told them I didn't expect them to score in the first 4 innings so there was no reason for them to worry if there were zero's across the board at that point. If we scored runs early it was gravy to us.
We assigned a clicker to one of our players in the dugout and had him track the opposing teams pitcher. We told our players their main goal was to drive the opposing pitchers pitch count to 60 by the fourth inning. It was our goal if we could get there after three innings but we felt just as well if it took us into the fourth inning to reach that point. In 8 of the 12 games we played that year in the 604 we reached 60 pitches by the end of the third inning. In the remaining 4 we reached 60 in the beginning to middle of the fourth inning.
Here is the effect it had on our 06 team. We went on to finish the year with 12 consecutive wins including a State Championship. To see the turnaround in our confidence and demeanor was awesome to watch. I was very fortunate to have great kids who bought into everything without much hesitation. If I came up with something new for them they just went and did it the best they could.
Here's why we were able to accomplish that dream. First, our players became much more relaxed. I mean it was night and day in their body language from before. I mentioned earlier that they would press harder and harder each inning and it would only make things worse. These guys were so focused on that dam pitch counter that the scoreboard didn't even seem to exist until the 5th inning.
Second, we were able to fatigue, remove, and adjust to the opposing pitcher. It took some time to get to them but our players bought into the idea we would win late. When opposing teams jumped on us early it was our players who kept saying we will get em at 60. Truth is I did very little coaching at that point because they were simply following a process we had set up and worked on.
I can remember playing a rival school who was getting the better of us. It was like the 2nd or 3rd game we were running the 604. I was in the third base coaching box scratching my head when I heard our player with the pitch counter begin to call out the pitch count. We had a batter in the box and the kid takes the first pitch for a ball. I hear someone yell 60! Then the next pitch is a ball and I hear 61! At that point the rest of our players caught on and you could just see and feel their spirit change. It was awesome!
We went on to score 4 runs in that inning and won the game. The players were completely sold at that point on what we were doing. They had a process they could follow and it built confidence in themselves and the team. They truly believed by the end of any game they would give themselves a chance to win.
Let me give you one more example. We played in the State Semi-Finals that year for the right to play for a State Championship. The team we were playing was much more talented then we were. Their pitcher was a hard throwing, bomb hitting stud who was about 6'4. Their shortstop was a great player who was hitting somewhere in the neighborhood of .650. Truthfully, I questioned that in my mind before the game but then the kid went 4 for 4 against us and I quickly realized how legit he was.
The game began and their Big pitcher hit a pair of 2 run home runs out of a ball park with professional dimensions. They backed that up with 10 other hits by the 5th inning and a solid pitching performance to go with it. We more then had our hands full at this point. When all of a sudden the pitch counter hit 60.
We huddle before the bottom of the 5th inning. I told our team to turn around and look at the scoreboard. It read 6 -0 with 12 hits to 2 I think. I told our kid to show the counter to our players. Once they saw the pitch count was over 60 a bounce came back in their step. They began saying things like "it's our time" and "these are our innings".
I told them we were playing a good game even though, if you were there, it felt like we were getting killed. I said they have 12 hits and a pair of 2 run homers but the score is only 6-0. I told them they made a mistake by leaving us in this game. As big a part as the 604 was to our season so was throwing strikes and fielding the ball. We weren't dominate strikeout pitchers and flashy fielders but we didn't walk people or kick the ball around. We had done both very well up to this point.
Fairytale story we come back and score 7 runs in the next two innings and won the game. In fact, to make it even more of a storybook season we won our final 4 playoffs games in our final at bat. It was an exciting run and was largely due to the 604.
A final note here was also how our players began to battle at the plate. We were routinely sending hitters to plate for 7 and 8 pitch at bats. I mean players who hadn't battled earlier in the year were fouling off pitches and making life miserable for opposing pitchers. Their swings hadn't changed one bit but their attitude and approach had. It really became a contest at times to see who could see the most pitches in an at bat. Our players would foul off a 2-2 pitch and our bench was going crazy. I know alot of that was the personality of our players and we had some personalities but if you give the players something to believe in they would grab hold.
In Conclusion
The 604 is a sound concept allowing teams to be successful. In order for it to work the players must buy in and run it right. They must truly go to school on the opposing pitcher watching and learning everything they can on each pitch. In the end if the pitcher is throwing well and in the game still what you have done is create a study guide for your hitters to use when they take their finals in the last 3 innings.
Like I said earlier this is not new concept in coaching baseball. Nor do I believe you should play this way all the time. In fact, I coached over 200 games and only ran the 604 in about 5% -7% of those games. I do believe when I come back to coaching that percentage will go up but it will not be a full time philosophy.
If your team is struggling at the plate and you need something to break it up then give the 604 a try. It may be what turns your season around. Best of Luck!
#1 - To get to the other teams bullpen
#2 - To fatigue the opposing pitcher and catch him before they took him out
#3 - If #1 or #2 didn't work then we would have confidence facing him late in the game because we have seen his arsenal. By that time we may have picked up him tipping pitches as well.
We knew this would not be easy but we convinced the players how our season would change with this new approach. They were looking for answers and had trust in our program so it was not a hard sell. Now we had to figure out the process by which we would drive up pitch counts and change our players mindsets.
The 604 Team Hitting Concept Rules:
Rule #1: Take a strike unless it was an RBI situation. If there was a runner on second or third you would hit with an aggressive approach.
Rule #2: No curveballs until you had 2 strikes. If it was an RBI situation then no curve balls until 1 strike and then you could be aggressive and hit a curveball up.
Rule #3: 3-1 was a take pitch unless it was an RBI situation.
Rule #4: Once the opposing pitcher gets to 60 pitches we open back up to our aggressive approach. It will stay that way the rest of the game regardless if they change pitchers or not.
That's it's, 4 rules! I realize it isn't a new and earth shattering idea but we set it up in the following manner. I told our team that we would focus on scoring runs in the 5th, 6th, and 7th inning. I even told them I didn't expect them to score in the first 4 innings so there was no reason for them to worry if there were zero's across the board at that point. If we scored runs early it was gravy to us.
We assigned a clicker to one of our players in the dugout and had him track the opposing teams pitcher. We told our players their main goal was to drive the opposing pitchers pitch count to 60 by the fourth inning. It was our goal if we could get there after three innings but we felt just as well if it took us into the fourth inning to reach that point. In 8 of the 12 games we played that year in the 604 we reached 60 pitches by the end of the third inning. In the remaining 4 we reached 60 in the beginning to middle of the fourth inning.
Here is the effect it had on our 06 team. We went on to finish the year with 12 consecutive wins including a State Championship. To see the turnaround in our confidence and demeanor was awesome to watch. I was very fortunate to have great kids who bought into everything without much hesitation. If I came up with something new for them they just went and did it the best they could.
Here's why we were able to accomplish that dream. First, our players became much more relaxed. I mean it was night and day in their body language from before. I mentioned earlier that they would press harder and harder each inning and it would only make things worse. These guys were so focused on that dam pitch counter that the scoreboard didn't even seem to exist until the 5th inning.
Second, we were able to fatigue, remove, and adjust to the opposing pitcher. It took some time to get to them but our players bought into the idea we would win late. When opposing teams jumped on us early it was our players who kept saying we will get em at 60. Truth is I did very little coaching at that point because they were simply following a process we had set up and worked on.
I can remember playing a rival school who was getting the better of us. It was like the 2nd or 3rd game we were running the 604. I was in the third base coaching box scratching my head when I heard our player with the pitch counter begin to call out the pitch count. We had a batter in the box and the kid takes the first pitch for a ball. I hear someone yell 60! Then the next pitch is a ball and I hear 61! At that point the rest of our players caught on and you could just see and feel their spirit change. It was awesome!
We went on to score 4 runs in that inning and won the game. The players were completely sold at that point on what we were doing. They had a process they could follow and it built confidence in themselves and the team. They truly believed by the end of any game they would give themselves a chance to win.
Let me give you one more example. We played in the State Semi-Finals that year for the right to play for a State Championship. The team we were playing was much more talented then we were. Their pitcher was a hard throwing, bomb hitting stud who was about 6'4. Their shortstop was a great player who was hitting somewhere in the neighborhood of .650. Truthfully, I questioned that in my mind before the game but then the kid went 4 for 4 against us and I quickly realized how legit he was.
The game began and their Big pitcher hit a pair of 2 run home runs out of a ball park with professional dimensions. They backed that up with 10 other hits by the 5th inning and a solid pitching performance to go with it. We more then had our hands full at this point. When all of a sudden the pitch counter hit 60.
We huddle before the bottom of the 5th inning. I told our team to turn around and look at the scoreboard. It read 6 -0 with 12 hits to 2 I think. I told our kid to show the counter to our players. Once they saw the pitch count was over 60 a bounce came back in their step. They began saying things like "it's our time" and "these are our innings".
I told them we were playing a good game even though, if you were there, it felt like we were getting killed. I said they have 12 hits and a pair of 2 run homers but the score is only 6-0. I told them they made a mistake by leaving us in this game. As big a part as the 604 was to our season so was throwing strikes and fielding the ball. We weren't dominate strikeout pitchers and flashy fielders but we didn't walk people or kick the ball around. We had done both very well up to this point.
Fairytale story we come back and score 7 runs in the next two innings and won the game. In fact, to make it even more of a storybook season we won our final 4 playoffs games in our final at bat. It was an exciting run and was largely due to the 604.
A final note here was also how our players began to battle at the plate. We were routinely sending hitters to plate for 7 and 8 pitch at bats. I mean players who hadn't battled earlier in the year were fouling off pitches and making life miserable for opposing pitchers. Their swings hadn't changed one bit but their attitude and approach had. It really became a contest at times to see who could see the most pitches in an at bat. Our players would foul off a 2-2 pitch and our bench was going crazy. I know alot of that was the personality of our players and we had some personalities but if you give the players something to believe in they would grab hold.
In Conclusion
The 604 is a sound concept allowing teams to be successful. In order for it to work the players must buy in and run it right. They must truly go to school on the opposing pitcher watching and learning everything they can on each pitch. In the end if the pitcher is throwing well and in the game still what you have done is create a study guide for your hitters to use when they take their finals in the last 3 innings.
Like I said earlier this is not new concept in coaching baseball. Nor do I believe you should play this way all the time. In fact, I coached over 200 games and only ran the 604 in about 5% -7% of those games. I do believe when I come back to coaching that percentage will go up but it will not be a full time philosophy.
If your team is struggling at the plate and you need something to break it up then give the 604 a try. It may be what turns your season around. Best of Luck!
Until the conclusion, I wasn't sure I agree. Then you stated that you can't use this all the time, and I was sold. I am a high school coach and I believe in hitting early and aggressive in the count. I can see where this can work. When you face a dominating pitcher, this will wear him down. He is going to punch out 10 K's anyway, ussually with my players swinging out of the zone. I like this concept and it's simle 4 rules.
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