Motivation Quote by Don Drysdale

Baseball likes to sell itself as a pastoral pastime, but Drysdale’s line strips the sport down to its oldest truth: it’s controlled intimidation with a rulebook. “Find out” frames pitching as reconnaissance, not just mechanics. The pitcher isn’t merely throwing to a strike zone; he’s reading flinches, late swings, bailouts from the inside corner. Then comes the coldest part: if the hitter is timid, “remind” him. That verb is doing all the work. It implies the fear already exists; the pitcher’s job is to keep it present, loud, and bodily.

Drysdale came up in an era when “working inside” meant something closer to sanctioned menace than modern fans might recognize. He was famous for pitching high and tight, and this quote is basically a mission statement for that culture: dominance isn’t only earned through velocity and movement, it’s manufactured through discomfort. The subtext is that timidity is contagious. Once a hitter starts protecting himself instead of the plate, his swing shrinks, his timing slips, and the pitcher’s whole menu opens up. A brushback pitch doesn’t have to hit you; it just has to edit your decision-making.

It’s also a brutal snapshot of masculinity in mid-century sports: vulnerability is a tell, and the professional obligation is to exploit it. Drysdale isn’t apologizing or moralizing. He’s describing the job as it was taught - win the mental game, then cash it in on the scoreboard.