Pull hitter
Definition
A right-handed hitter stands on the left side of home plate and "pulls" the ball by sending it to the left side of the diamond. If the ball goes to the right side from a right-handed hitter, it has gone to the "opposite field". Players who rarely hit to the opposite field or the middle are called dead pull hitters. In general, pullers are meeting the ball earlier at the plate.Dickson, Paul. [https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Dickson_Baseball_Dictionary_3e/mqVXyfqj88oC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA674&printsec=frontcover The Dickson Baseball Dictionary], 3rd edition. WW Norton, 2009.{{rp|674}}
History
Baseball lexicographer Paul Dickson recorded a usage of "pull hitter" in a 1925 column by Chilly Doyle in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "The Pirate catcher (Earl Smith) is one of the league's 'pull' hitters; that is, Earl, a lefthand batter of the slugging type, smashes most of his wallops to rightfield."{{Cite web |title=Pull Hitter — Baseball Dictionary |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/dictionary-term.php?term=pull+hitter |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=Baseball Almanac}} The term was common by 1928 when Babe Ruth used it in Babe Ruth's Own Book of Baseball. In a section on "Correcting Batting Faults", he wrote, "Most fellows who can't hit curve balls are chaps who stride out of line or 'pull away' from the ball. Most batters who have trouble with slow ball pitching are 'pull' hitters. That is, they are meeting the ball 'out front.'"Ruth, George Herman. [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Babe_Ruth_s_Own_Book_of_Baseball/7INLAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA164&printsec=frontcover Babe Ruth's Own Book of Baseball]. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1928.{{rp|164}}
Ted Williams wrote, "the ideal hit is a pulled ball 380 feet because that's a home run in most parks in the big leagues".Williams, Ted., Underwood, John. [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Science_of_Hitting/4zcntt5FKacC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA41&printsec=frontcover The Science of Hitting]. India: Touchstone, 1986. 41–2. Charley Lau explained, "the best pitch to pull is one thrown on the inner half of the plate", i.e. the side closest to the hitter.Lau, Charley, and Jeffrey Flanagan. [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Lau_s_Laws_on_Hitting/iC3Neo9aZ1cC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA18&printsec=frontcover Lau's Laws on Hitting]. Addax Publishing Group, 2000. 18. Rod Carew pointed out that trying to pull the ball reduces the hitting area by at least half.Carew, Rod and Frank Pace, Armen Keteyian. (2012). Rod Carew's Hit to Win: Batting Tips and Techniques from a Baseball Hall of Famer. MVP Books, 2012. 81.
The ability to hit the ball to anywhere on the field is an extremely valuable skill. Some of the sport's best hitters will pull inside pitches and hit outside pitches to the opposite field.Suzuki, Ichiro, and Jim Rosenthal. [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ichiro_s_Art_of_Playing_Baseball/OMb1GLfmUaYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA44&printsec=frontcover Ichiro's Art of Playing Baseball: Learn How to Hit, Steal, and Field Like an All-Star]. St. Martin's Press, 2006.{{rp|44}} Opposite field hitting is less often referred to as "pushing" the ball.{{rp|187}}{{rp|677}}
Shifting
{{main|Infield shift}}
It is common for managers to implement the defensive tactic known as "shifting" for pull hitters. Players are moved to the side of the field where the pulled hit is likely to come. In 1923, defenses regularly shifted for Cy Williams, and throughout his career, Ted Williams faced the shift.Pavitt, Charlie. "[https://sabr.org/journal/article/plummeting-batting-averages-are-due-to-far-more-than-infield-shifting-part-one-fielding-and-batting-strategy/#fn14 Plummeting Batting Averages Are Due to Far More Than Infield Shifting, Part One: Fielding and Batting Strategy]", Baseball Research Journal. Spring 2024.
For a left-handed power hitter like Harold Baines, a full "shift" moves the third baseman to the shortstop's normal position. The shortstop shifts to shallow right field between the first and second basemen. The outfielders will also shift towards the right side of the field. Analysts found that when the shift is on, pitchers also tend to throw more to the inside to encourage pull hits.Carleton, Russell A. “[https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/61143/walk-penalty-infield-kill-the-shift-mlb-defense/ The Walk Penalty and the Death of the Shift].” Baseball Prospectus. August 19, 2020.
As Sabermetrics developed, teams had more accurate information about batting tendencies, and they deployed the shift more frequently. In {{mlby|2010}}, teams shifted 3,323 times. By {{mlby|2017}}, the league was shifting 33,218 times a season.{{Cite news |last=Greenberg |first=Neil |date=2018 |title=MLB's Opening Day featured unconventional lineups and bizarre defensive shifts: Analytics continue to leave its mark on Major League Baseball. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-stats/wp/2018/03/30/mlbs-opening-day-featured-unconventional-lineups-and-bizarre-defensive-shifts/ |access-date=February 27, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post|id={{ProQuest|2019974930}} }} In {{mlby|2023}}, Major League Baseball essentially banned the full shift by requiring two infielders on either side of second base before each pitch.{{cite news|newspaper =The New York Times |title=M.L.B. Bans the Shift and Adds a Pitch Clock for 2023 |first=Scott |last=Miller |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/09/sports/baseball/mlb-bans-shift.html |url-access=limited |date=September 22, 2022 |accessdate=March 22, 2023}}