A pitcher often needs the first inning (and sometimes the second and third innings) to get into rhythm and settle down. Once a good pitcher gets into his rhythm and settles down, the other team is in trouble. “If you can’t get to a good pitcher early, you might not get him” is a baseball adage of unknown authorship.
 
“If you don’t get to a good pitcher early, you’re not going to get to him,” said Cleveland Indians manager Alvin Dark (1922-2014) in 1969. “If you don’t get to a good pitcher early, you are in trouble” was called by a 1988 article as “one of the oldest cliches in baseball.”
   
 
29 June 1969, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), “Batting Around” by Russell Schneider, pg. $-C, col. 4:
“One criterion of a great pitcher is this,” (Alvin—ed.) Dark said. “You’ll hear it in the dugouts, among general managers, scouts, everybody who’s involved in baseball. If you don’t get to a good pitcher early, you’re not going to get to him—and that’s the way it was with Sam (McDowell—ed.).”
 
23 June 1988, The Times (Trenton, NJ), “Gooden too hot for Pirates” by George A. King III, pg. C8, col. 4:
NEW YORK—One of the oldest cliches in baseball came to life yesterday afternoon at a sun-splashed Shea Stadium.
 
That’s the one that says, “if you don’t get to a good pitcher early, you are in trouble.”
 
Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer
First Inning Boosts Washington Twp. The Lead-off Homer Hurt Cherokee. A Two-run Triple Hurt The Chiefs Even More.
By Bob Hoffman, INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT
POSTED: May 21, 1994
It’s always best in softball to get to a good pitcher early in the game.
 
Washington Township did that in a big way yesterday and went on to upend Cherokee, 4-1, in a non-conference softball game.
   
Los Angeles (CA) Times
Burbank Felled by Hart Attack in a 5-0 Setback
Foothill softball: Fortune and Colleran combine on three-hitter for Indians, who get to Brower for nine hits.
April 05, 2000|STEVE GALLUZZO | SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
(...)
“If you get to a good pitcher early like we did, it definitely helps your chances,” (Hart High Coach Cathy—ed.) Giordano said.
 
MotownSports.com Message Boards
TigersMeow
08-15-2003, 03:34 AM
(...)
The old saying is “get to a pitcher early.” If you don’t he settles down and gets into a groove and gives the hitters a chance to get the bats going.
 
Google Books
Living on the Black:
Two Pitchers, Two Teams, One Season to Remember
By John Feinstein
New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company
2008
Pg. ?:
There’s no better example of how important it is to get to a good pitcher early than Glavine, who gives up almost half his runs in the first inning. But it is true of all good pitchers.
 
“The first inning you often aren’t completely comfortable on the mound,” Mussina said. “it takes a while to get yourself to feel exactly how you want to feel in the game.”
     
MLive
Detroit Tigers’ David Price seeking more consistency, frustrated by bad starts
By Ansar Khan | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
on September 07, 2014 at 6:03 AM, updated September 07, 2014 at 7:03 AM
(...)
Said Giants manager Bruce Bochy: “The old adage is, ‘You’ve got to get to a good pitcher early.’ “
 
Ausmus also mentioned that old adage.
 
“The first inning a lot of times is the toughest inning for a starting pitcher,” Ausmus said. “He hasn’t gotten his rhythm, the opposing lineup is set up exactly how they want it and it seems to be the most-scored inning in baseball, at least from my experience.
 
Chicago (IL) Tribune
Forget bruise and bruising, Jose Abreu and Chris Sale huge in 9-2 victory
By Colleen Kane
JUNE 3, 2015, 11:58 PM
(...)
Sox pitching coach Don Cooper said Wednesday it is not because Samardzija is not properly prepared, saying they try to combat the problems by having him go out earlier to get ready. He said in the past they have had pitchers throw an inning before the game.
 
“He’s out there way, way earlier than everybody else,” Cooper said. “He’s plenty oiled up, plenty juiced up, it just ain’t happening right now in the first. If we can lick that, with him and everybody, it’s the old saying, ‘If you can’t get to a good pitcher early, you might not get him.’ Because he always seems to get stronger through the game.”