The ball is thrown from the pitcher's mound to home plate covering 60 feet 6 inches at speeds upwards of 100 miles per hour. The ball can be thrown fast, slow, up and in, down and away, spinning, curving, and a variety of other motions.
Pitchers can mix up pitches to each batter, which becomes a game within the game.
Pitchers must know a batter's strength and weakness, avoiding the former and exploiting the later. One small error, and the ball could be sailing over the pitchers head for a home run. Hitting the ball 3 out of 10 times in considered success. The Shift of Power During the early years of baseball, pitchers always had the advantage. There were no rules against such behaviour.