what to do during a blowout game

We’ve all been there. You get pumped up for game day, and within the first few innings, the game is already out of hand. At that point, it can feel as though the game is dragging on forever (especially during those hot summer days), and it can become very easy to lose focus and drift back into bad habits. You may have even thought about ways you can make the game speed up to get out of there. 

These are all natural reactions to a situation where the game has already been decided. During your time as a player, you’re going to be in games where you put up a ton of runs early to put the game out of reach and no matter how good you or your team are you’ll experience getting beat down a few times in your life. 

Here’s a little homework assignment for you. Next time you’re watching a major league or other professional game and the score is a total blowout, don’t turn it off. Instead, stick around and pay attention to how players on both sides react to the situation. Almost to a man, I’m betting you’ll notice that they take each at-bat, pitch, and fielding play to the absolute best of their ability. 

When you make it to the show, there is no such thing as “taking one off”. That’s why you’ll see guys running out a routine grounder in the 9th inning of a 10-1 game. Opportunities for at bats, pitching appearances, and spots in the field are extremely limited and every player needs to put forth their absolute best at all times in order to continue to get more playing time. 

For a young player, it’s even more important to use every single opportunity that you have to get better. You are only going to get so many at-bats in a season, and taking even one off is wasting an opportunity for improvement, and also potentially puts you at risk of riding the bench (trust me, coaches absolutely pay attention to this). 

So how do you handle a situation like this, which you are sure to find yourself on either side of from time to time?

1. Give your absolute best at every opportunity

   • You only get so many chances to show what you can do, and if you are in a starting position someone is *always* gunning for your spot. So you need to treat every at bat, every pitch, every fielding opportunity as unique and give your absolute best. 

   • For instance, treat every single at-bat the same regardless of the score and make sure to keep a consistent mental approach and maintain your plan at the plate and plate discipline. These “garbage time” at bats can either reinforce good habits, or let you slip into bad ones. Use your chances wisely.

2. Even keel

   • It’s easy to feel like everything is great when your team is out front and you’re having a great game, just as it is easy to get down on yourself and the team if things are going south fast. Make sure to remind yourself that it is only one game, and you shouldn’t get too high or too low based on one result. 

   • Start by reminding yourself of this, and from there make it a point to check in with your teammates as well. Leaders are the ones who can keep themselves and their teammates focused regardless of the score and continuing to get better.

3. Moral victories 

   • If you put up eight runs in the first two innings, is there anything still left to play for as a team if it feels like the game is already out of reach for your opponent? What about the other way around? In the first instance, a way to keep yourself engaged with the game is to develop a new goal for the rest of the game like “Hey, let’s get a shutout” or “I want at least three hits today”. There are *always* goals that you can put out there for the team and yourself to target. Just because the outcome might be all but assured doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop reaching to improve. 

   • Likewise, say you’re down big time early but you let your teammates know you want to “win the rest of the game”. Sometimes there really is value in moral victories, and if you can leave a game knowing that you battled adversity and didn’t give up in a tough situation, that will bode well for your mentality going forward and you very well could pull off an improbable comeback or two!

Remember, EVERY opportunity that you have is important and taking your foot off the gas is not an opportunity if you want to continue to improve and reach your full potential. The best thing you can do in these scenarios is to continue all of the work you’re doing on your mindset and approach regardless of the score, and that way you’ll continue good habits as well as remaining a good teammate and influence in the dugout.