“Throw more strikes” is the most common mound visit in baseball and softball. It is also one of the least useful. A pitcher can throw 65% strikes and still spend the outing behind in the count—first-pitch ball, even at 1-1, then a 2-1 cookie the hitter is sitting on. The staff feels like they “had command.” The scoreboard says otherwise.
The habit that actually changes pitch calling is narrower: get two strikes within the first three pitches.
That is what 2 out of 3 % measures in Pitch MetRx. It is not a slogan. It is the share of plate appearances where the pitcher got to a pitcher-ahead count early enough to matter.
What 2 out of 3 % actually measures
Pitch MetRx calculates 2 out of 3 % from the live pitch log:
(Plate appearances with 2+ strikes in the first 3 pitches) / Total plate appearances (batters faced) × 100
A “strike” here matches how Pitch MetRx counts strikes elsewhere: called strike, swinging strike, foul, or a ball in play (hit or out). So a first-pitch groundout earns a 2 out of 3 credit. A three-pitch PA that goes strike, strike, ball is a credit even if the at-bat continues. A PA that opens ball, ball, ball is not—no matter how many strikes you throw later.
That last point is the coaching payoff. Late recovery does not rewrite the first three pitches. 2 out of 3 % only cares whether you got ahead, not whether you eventually filled up the zone.
You will see 2 out of 3 % in the overall statistics on mid-game reports, post-game reports, lifetime stats, and custom date-range reports—right with FPS %, strike %, BB %, and BAA. PDF and CSV exports include the same row. The pitch metrics page is the broader map; 2 out of 3 % is the early-count habit inside it.
Why it is not FPS %
First-pitch strike percentage (FPS %) answers one question: did pitch one take control of the plate appearance?
2 out of 3 % answers a different one: did you get to two strikes before the hitter took over the count?
The two numbers can disagree, and that disagreement is the conversation.
- High FPS %, low 2 out of 3 %. You got strike one, then two balls. The outing “started ahead” and still leaked into 2-1 and 3-1. Pitch Call Analysis will usually show the damage there—not on the first pitch.
- Lower FPS %, healthier 2 out of 3 %. You missed with pitch one and still punched two of the next two for strikes. That is a recoverable 1-2 count, not a crisis. The pitcher is competing; the 0-0 pitch just is not the one they should live on today.
- Both low. You are working from behind. Walks, pitch count, and BAA tend to follow. “Throw more strikes” still does not tell them which two of the first three to attack with.
FPS % is the start of the plate appearance. 2 out of 3 % is whether you kept the leverage. Read them together; do not substitute one for the other. For the FPS and WHIFF% workflow, see First-Pitch Strikes and WHIFF%.
Why two strikes early changes the at-bat
Count leverage is not a vibe. In Pitch MetRx, Pitch Call Analysis splits results by count (0-0 through 3-2), pitch type, and location. Ahead counts (0-2, 1-2) are where chase pitches, riseballs, and breaking balls get to be themselves. Behind counts (2-0, 3-1) are where you are often forced to throw the hitter’s pitch.
Two strikes in the first three pitches is how you arrive at those ahead counts on purpose:
- The hitter has to protect. Takes become riskier. Chase rates go up.
- You can use the pitch that actually misses bats—change-up, drop, curve, slider—without needing it to be a called strike on 3-1.
- Pitch count stays in range. Three-pitch competitive PAs beat six-pitch walks even when the result is a groundout, not a punchout.
- The next hitter sees a pitcher who is dictating, not surviving.
Softball and baseball share the habit. The pitch types differ. A fastpitch pitcher might get to 0-2 with a rise then a drop, or a change-up after a called fastball. A baseball pitcher might pair a fastball away with a curve that starts in the zone. 2 out of 3 % does not care which sport. It cares whether the first three pitches produced two strikes.
Do not treat one outing of eight batters faced as a true-talent number. Look at 2 out of 3 % next to BF, then at the trend in lifetime or custom reports.
How to read it in the dugout
The mid-game report updates as you log. You do not need to wait until the car ride.
Between innings, glance at three rows: FPS %, 2 out of 3 %, and BB %. If 2 out of 3 % is sagging and walks are up, the pitcher is not “wild.” They are failing to get to two strikes before the hitter is in a hitter’s count. The adjustment is the 0-0 and 0-1 call—not a generic “be aggressive.”
Filter LH / RH. A 2 out of 3 % that looks fine against right-handed hitters and collapses against lefties is a matchup problem, not a “command” problem. Change the pitch you use to get ahead to that side; do not change the whole identity.
Then open Pitch Call Analysis if you have enough pitches. If BAA is high at 2-1 and 3-1, 2 out of 3 % is telling you how you got there. PCA tells you what you threw once you were there. Fix the entry to the count before you overhaul the put-away pitch.
After the game: Put 2 out of 3 % in the same conversation as BAA and GB/LD/FB. A pitcher who got two strikes early and still gave up hard fly balls has a different problem (the two-strike pitch) than a pitcher who rarely got to two strikes at all.
A practical framework for coaches
Use 2 out of 3 % as a habit, not a lecture.
Right after the game. Read FPS % and 2 out of 3 % before you talk about velocity or “stuff.” If 2 out of 3 % is the weak number, the next-game focus is one sentence: two strikes in the first three pitches. Pick the pitch they will use to get there—not five pitches, one.
In the pitch log. Scan the first three pitches of PAs that went long. Ball, ball, competitive strike is a different story than strike, ball, ball. The second pattern is how high FPS and low 2 out of 3 show up in real at-bats.
By handedness. If 2 out of 3 % vs LH batters is the hole, the “get-ahead” pitch to lefties is the assignment. Rise inside, fastball away, change-up down—whatever their log already shows they can throw for a strike. Do not invent a new pitch on Tuesday for a Saturday game.
Week to week. Lifetime stats and custom date-range reports show whether the habit is sticking. A pitcher whose 2 out of 3 % climbs while BB % falls is developing, even if strikeout totals are flat. Getting ahead is the cause; punchouts are often the lagging effect.
Next outing, one priority. Not “throw strikes.” Not “mix better.” Two of the first three. Then log it live so the mid-game report can tell you if it happened.
What you gain by coaching the habit
“Throw more strikes” is a result. 2 out of 3 % is a behavior you can practice between outings, call from the dugout, and measure the same day.
Pitchers understand it. Two of the first three is a countable job. Coaches can pair it with the 0-0 call and the pitch type they tap in the live log. Parents and assistants can read it on a PDF without a stats glossary.
The programs that get value from Pitch MetRx are not the ones who collect the most metrics. They are the ones who pick one number that changes the next pitch. For a lot of staffs, that number is 2 out of 3 %.
Get two strikes in the first three pitches. Then you have earned the right to talk about the fourth.
Pitch MetRx is a pitching analytics platform for baseball and softball coaches. Log pitches from the dugout and read 2 out of 3 %, FPS %, BAA, and Pitch Call Analysis in the same report—without radar hardware or spreadsheet reconstruction.
Ready to track the 2 out of 3 habit with live pitch data? Start your free trial today.