Mound Philosophy by Bucky Walters : A Legendary List on Baseball Almanac

Mound Philosophy

On November 30, 1955, The Sporting News published the following legendary list which they referred to as a "Mound Philosophy." These insightful philosophies were written by pitcher William Henry "Bucky" Walters, who played from 1934 to 1950, was a six-time All-Star, and had a lifetime ERA of 3.30.

"If the game was half as complicated as some of these writers make out it is, a lot of us boys from the farm would never have been able to make a living at it." - Bucky Walters

Mound Philosophy by Bucky Walters (1955)
#	Philosophy
1.	There is no mystery to pitching.
2.	The object simply is to get the ball over.
3.	Each pitcher has to learn to make the most of what he has.
4.	Maybe it's time to revise pitching standards, and not expect a man to complete half or three-quarters of the games he starts.
5.	I don't think its necessary to enlarge the strike zone or bring back a lot of mechanical pitches.
6.	If they want to do something for the pitchers, then let them raise the seams on the ball.
7.	Pitchers will learn or figure out some way to get even with the hitters and eventually stop them.
Mound Philosophy by Bucky Walters

In 1939, Bucky Walters led the league in wins, earned runs average, complete games, and strikeouts — and won the Most Valuable Player Award.

During the 1944 season, Bucky Walters lost a perfect game on a two out single during the eighth inning of a game.

Did you know that Bucky Walters primarily played third base from 1931 through 1934 and did not become a full time pitcher until his fifth year in the Major Leagues?

Copyright © 2000-2008. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Design by Geisler Young. Hosted by Hosting 4 Less.
Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Today in Baseball History.