first-pitch

And after the third strikeout, on a 3-2 pitch in an at-bat that began with a called first-pitch strike that got Bautista livid, he finally snapped.

Thestar.com - Home Page Doug Smith 2011

With a runner on, Vazquez threw another first-pitch fastball to Damon, who promptly sent it soaring into the upper deck in right field, where a fan with a Red Sox cap gleefully caught the souvenir.

One Season William Fredrick Cooper 2011

In the bottom of the third, Melky Cabrera took a first-pitch fastball from Boston hurler Paul Byrd and deposited into the right-field seats to cut the deficit in half.

One Season William Fredrick Cooper 2011

Throwing a first-pitch curveball that hung in the strike zone, Hamels shrugged it off as a waste pitch.

One Season William Fredrick Cooper 2011

Stubborn like that kid having to touch a hot stove after his parents told him he would get burned if he touched it, Brian Duensing threw him a first-pitch fastball out over the plate.

One Season William Fredrick Cooper 2011

The pitchers on their makeshift staff threw first-pitch strikes, refused to walk anyone, and the fundamentals instilled in them by Scoiscia seemed sharper, more defined.

One Season William Fredrick Cooper 2011

Carlos Pena, the first baseman for the Chicago Cubs, swings at first-pitch strikes 83.7% of the time—the highest mark in baseball.

The Bored Baseball Fan's Best Friends 2011

Turning on another first-pitch fastball, Vladimir Guerrero smoked a double to left center, scoring Hunter.

One Season William Fredrick Cooper 2011

Anderson, perhaps sensing my intuition, warned his rookie pitcher about throwing A-Rod a first-pitch fastball.

One Season William Fredrick Cooper 2011

Though he grounded out in the third, he hit a booming, ground-rule double off the centerfield warning track in the fifth; and with two out and the bases empty in the home half of the seventh, he again made Niemann pay for throwing a first-pitch fastball.

One Season William Fredrick Cooper 2011