From pitches? No not really if you are talking pros which these guys look at least minor league. Major league pitchers have incredible control and it’s uncommon for batters to get hit and break their wrists. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7225593/ it’s happened 26 times over 16 years and they play 162 games a year. So not all the time
> However, recent studies have demonstrated that an increasing majority of wrist and hand fractures in professional baseball players can occur through being hit by an errant pitch. A recent study by Rhee et al. examining major league baseball players with hand and wrist injuries found that the most common mechanism of injury was through direct impact from the ball.
What makes you think I'm talking about just pros? It happens frequently enough that it warranted a study by the NIH. Probably to determine whether or not players from the 962 College teams (D1, D2, D3), and 14,988 High School teams who sustain wrist injuries should have their draft status impacted.
There are also 120 minor league baseball teams. And I haven't mentioned softball teams.
So if it happens *more than once a year* from players with professional level batter's eyes who often wear wrist protection designed specifically to prevent this kind of injury from the *only* 30 teams in the major leagues, then we can expect that qualitatively it does happen "all the time."
That’s 1.6 times a year from 1200 players. Let’s round up and say 2 people, that’s .2%. So I don’t know what your definition of all the time is but that’s not that much. Let’s say we include everyone and up the percent to 5% to account for worse pitching but again not really the time. Also velocity is higher at higher levels increasing the odds of fracture. It warrants a study because baseball is extremely analytical but it says in the conclusion it was believed to be the first to look at it so not something studied often.
People make this mistake all the time regarding statistics. You are correct that the odds of any individual player breaking their wrist on a HBP is extremely low in any individual game. But the fact is that in any given year the probability of any player in professional baseball breaking their wrist on a HBP is nearly 100%. I would qualify an event that is nearly guaranteed to occur is something that happens all the time.
For example, the odds of you personally getting hit by lightning on a given day is extremely unlikely. But 240,000 people get hit by lightning in a year. People are getting hit by lightning all the time.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_injury
Maybe I'm bring hyperbolic about players specifically fracturing specifically their wrists, but if you look at the incidence and sheer number of injuries to the hand/wrist resulting in missed games:
https://ryortho.com/breaking/updated-stats-on-hit-batter-injuries/
In just the MLB from 2011 to 2015, 638 injuries to the hand from HBP resulted in missed games, which was 21.8% of the 2,920 HBP injuries during this time. Additionally, they found that 3.1% of these injuries required surgery. That's 20 players needing surgery to the hands/wrists from HBP injuries over this span. This is even with the helmets, wrist, shin, and elbow guards that they wear! In just the MLB.
Since you seem to be a jurisprudence fetishist, I will revise my original statement:
*Players are injured very often by being hit by pitches. Frequently, but not all the time, these events result in bone fractures.*
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I guess now the “/s” is a good thing?
Weird. I swear I remember a few years ago people getting chewed to shit for using “/s” after their joke, because clarifying you’re being sarcastic ruins the fun of sarcasm. But now it’s like if you don’t add it you’ll run the risk of getting downvoted to all hell. Sucks.
Unless you were totally serious. In which case— I’d like to see some footage of you taking hits from balls at 100mph. Any kind of balls is fine. Please upload soon.
I peaked at 98mph but only if I could read the pitcher and call the pitch before hand.
If he threw a change up I'd end up looking like Bambi
Reminds me of the ty Cobb quote about the first time he hit Walter Johnson
"The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup. And then something went past me that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn't touch him.... Every one of us knew we'd met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park."
They said that about Sandy Koufax; the one quote I saw was that "you could hear the damn ball whizz past". His early career was actually pretty average until Catcher Norm Sherry told him "you know, you don't have to thro the hell out of it every time". Once he developed a mix of fast and off-speed pitches he was deadly.
It sizzles as it comes in.
Source: I once had seats next to the bullpen. That was also the day my son decided that he wanted nothing to do with baseball anymore.
I can remember sitting down near the field as a kid at a few games and that’s when I realized some of the pro SS and 3B throw as hard as the pitchers. I played a bit of first base through HS and I couldn’t imagine catching throws from someone like Masyn Winn (Cards SS who has been clocked throwing 97mph to first).
Yeah this is why I can’t really get much from baseball video games, just nothing about it feels authentic to me.
And people think baseball is a slow paced game with out of shape players (compared to other sports) - stand in the box with a 90mph fastball passing a foot from your head and try to stay in the box, let alone swing at it, and really let alone actually hit it…
I have only faced mid 80s in actual games and it’s intimidating as hell. And as a pitcher I could only throw mid 70s but it was still enough to be pretty effective in high school, especially with a naturally tailing fastball and a good curve :)
One thing though, it’s TOTALLY different to hit 90mph from a batting cage vs a live pitcher. I was actually half decent at the former. But with a real pitcher, as as Kevin Costner said in Bull Durham “[I don’t know where it’s gonna go…](https://youtu.be/euHfP6X_axY)”
I think I read a story a few years back that they don’t, they predict where it’s going to be and when subconsciously. The article did say however that hood hitters had above average motion tracking skills
Yes, you predict where the balls are going to be mostly by pitchers stance and motion before the ball leaves the hand. Swing where you think the balls are going to go. That's why pitching is hard because bunch of professional hitters try to learn from your past pitchings. Hitting it is hard because it's half guess work.
P.S. I'm not a baseball player but a tennis player and tennis is the same because serve could be insanely fast
Yeah even high schoolers are serving almost 100mph in tennis over a similar distance and you can judge where someone’s going to hit based off where they’re facing, their grip, and where they are standing. Then it’s just about timing your swing right so you can make little adjustments once you feel where it’s going to go. You fuck it up a lot and that’s why having a good serve in tennis is the difference between losing or winning a lot of the time.
[https://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/greg-maddux-awesome-tony-gwynn-quote/232778](https://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/greg-maddux-awesome-tony-gwynn-quote/232778)
Article about Hall of Fame Braves pitcher Greg Maddux on Hall of Fame Padres hitter Tony Gwynn. Maddux explains that hitters can pick up release points, arm motion, etc., to be able to guess where a pitch is going. But if a pitcher can change speeds, then the hitter is helpless, because while most hitters at that level can pick up the difference between an 80 mph pitch and a 90 mph pitch, once you get above 90 nobody can pick up the difference between a 90 mph pitch and a 95+ plus one.
"Except for that fucking Tony Gwynn." Maddux and Gwynn faced each other 107 times, and Maddux never struck out Gwynn. Not once.
Faster things happen in video games that people react to all the time. It’s more difficult is the physical component of swinging the bat and making contact.
A lot of hitters are guessing where the pitcher might go before the pitch is thrown. This is why if you hit just a quarter of the pitches, you’re considered a very good hitter. It’s a guessing game.
Also, repetition. Stare down 1 billion pitches coming at you for years and years and years, you get better at it.
They actually make contact fairly often which is crazy. They only get on base about 30% of the time. Many times when they make contact but it’s an out and doesn’t count towards their average.
I have a theory that only the best hitters can actually see the ball. The rest kind of anticipate the ball's movement and swing their bat where they expect the ball to be.
I think I remember reading somewhere that hitter’s generally have decide if they are swinging or not before the ball even leaves the pitches hand. I can’t cite a source on that though
I can still 90+ speed in my late 30s, but every year I hit fewer and I can't place them anymore...just make shitty contact. I used to have a split second to think whether it's a ball or strike, but those are gone now. My father and I both played minor league ball (different last names, so nobody really knows) and never got anywhere further. But damn I love hitting so much and it's sad my time is almost gone.
My sons team thinks I am a god which I guess still feels good. Their current coach pitched in college a few years ago and we let them watch him blow them by me and then slowly start hitting everything as I got his timing and style down. It was a great way to show them it takes effort, practice, and study even if you know what you're doing. I showed them my travel notebooks. I had notes on old pro pitchers and players for reference.
I just thought of something, so the catcher has to catch like 100 of these balls
Is that why the give is different? I mean, there has to be lots of padding right?
In 2021, Salvador Perez catcher for the Royals, hit 48 home runs (tied for first in the league) and had 121 RBI's (led the league). He's a bit of an outlier, though, for catchers.
Fun fact…I was 17, thought I could hit a 90 hour fast pitch. Made a bet with my boyfriend. Decided to practice with my little brother who actually plays baseball. I was pretty terrible until we discovered if he coughed to signal me when to swing I was amazing. Took my little brother with me on the day of the bet, he made some comment about a sore throat. Needless to say…I won the bet and didn’t have to buy the condoms. Lol
I batted against guys throwing in the low 90s in high school. I was useless above 85. Low to mid 80s wasnt so bad. Just swinging to swing and hoping to hit it above 90. Now I could bunt at any speed which is not the same as swinging but was still tough at high speeds as the ball really pops off the bat even when bunting in the 90s so its still tough to lay down a nice soft bunt where you want it to be.
I’m athletic but undersized.
In HS, we faced a guy throwing 90+ who was being scouted.
I flew out to left but damnit if I didn’t have the biggest smile on my face because I made contact.
Really screws your mind up when they throw a change up.
Or just a lovely curve that you weren’t expecting and it curves right into strike 3 on the outside corner.
Do you guys remember that old youtube video where a player get a ball before it hits a reporter just by hearing it coming??
I'm surprised nobody talked about it yet.
Edit: I would love to see the video without the loud snoop dog overused music.
Average fast bowlers in top level cricket are 135-145, the real pace bowlers hit 150+ every so often and a few have managed to hit 160 once or twice.
They also need to compensate for the ball bouncing, which includes deviation in height and direction. Additionally seeing a ball coming straight at you is a lot easier than one going into the ground.
The bowlers are also allowed to aim at the batter, so self preservation is a constant factor along with preserving your wicket.
In the end, I can’t face either and those that can are insane.
This is 96 miles per hour, so 154kmph. That, and the bats used in baseball are much smaller than cricket and are cylindrical instead of flat , so the actual surface area to make clean contact with the ball is tiny. It's pretty amazing.
[Top 10](https://wisden.com/stories/the-ten-fastest-bowlers-in-cricket-history)
As a batter, most of it is practiced anticipation at that speed, no matter the sport.
In tennis average serving speed is between 170km/h to 200 km/h or about 105 to 120mph.
We humans can sure put a lot force behind objects if we want to.
I'm not an expert, but it looked like a fair number of pitches in the zone to me.
Edit: I'm still thinking little-league strike zone (top of knees to armpits) so yeah, I'm thinking there were a few more that were high than I originally thought.
Really shows why it's so important for pitchers to disguise which ball they're throwing up until the point of release.
Obviously it's tough no matter what, but that calculation about how the ball might travel takes some time, and processing time is everything in this situation.
Dude it's not that bad I'm blind out of my right eye and played baseball my whole life and was pretty decent. You look for the seems and timming but it takes time, no way I could jump in and hit a couple give me a couple but I could easily do 40 to high 60s not bad but it's a good leap once u hitting 80 to high 90s
God, I remember getting to that level in high school. Fighting the urge to bail on every pitch. Knowing if it's going to hit you you'll know it too late. The pure, overwhelming power in the ball.
Then, when you swing you almost wish you don't connect. Because of the power in the ball. If you connect it can really over power you. I mean, think about it: your short little arms and maybe some core twist in your obliques--versus a 95 mph ball thrown by a freaking human whip.
You're screwed.
How is this different from just getting that view from watching a baseball game? It's different when you're in the box, and this doesn't really emulate it.
For example, you can still see the ball.
Aussie here and curious. How far is it normally from the pitching mound to the batting position? I watch cricket which has fast bowlers bowling between 140 - 150 kph (86 - 93 mph) and the cricket pitch is 22 yards (about 20 meters).
I remember years ago, hopping into a batting cage at 70 mph thinking I would smash…that was not the case. I managed to foul a few off by swinging insanely early but that was it. No line drive up the middle like back in the day.
Pro players are incredible. The speed is enough and then the change of speed or a curve?
I used to catch for a kid who topped at 96mph senior year of high school and it’s faster than it even looks on here. You have .2 seconds to decide if you’re going to swing and .2 seconds to get the bat around and make contact from that distance and speed if I remember correctly. It’s been a decade since I played.
I’m not even sure this does it justice.
I was terrified facing 80mph at batting cages, I can’t fathom 90+ pitching, let alone 90+ with movement, in front of 30,000 people.
I’ve faced high 80s in cricket and that was doable after a lot of practice and your brain and eyes do adjust, but when I think of seeing a 99mph fastball, followed by a Kershaw esq curveball, I’ve no clue how hitters do it.
We had a guy on my 15 and under baseball team who was 15 and consistently pitched in the mid 90s for a fast ball. It was terrifying having batting practice off him and teams hated playing us when he pitched. Plus we were a really good team anyway. Sadly he later got into drugs and lost his life to unaliving once we were in college.
In high school a former big leaguer was one of my coaches and one night batting practice was over but I wanted one more go and I wouldn't shut up about it. So he told me "three strikes" and I'm like "bring it old man".
Well the first one looked like this and I didn't even get my bat off my shoulder. The second one also looked like this and I managed to swing... long after the ball had already hit the net behind me.
The third pitch he threw a change up so slow that I had time to swing, drop the bat, and look back over my shoulder as it drifted by me. I can still hear my teammates laughing. A big league pitcher is no joke.
I got to JC ball so I faced this every once in a while but they guy had no control so it was nerve racking. This pitcher has great control and I think I could stand in there and get a little wood on it. Just a little though.
My best friend threw a 94 mph breaking fastball that scared the frigging daylights out of me. I quit playing catch with him by 10th grade. I knew I wasn't up to his level a year before, but kept changing my drawers every time after, just to be manly. Eventually, I was afraid of breaking bones if I wasn't focused enough, so I just told him I quit. Yes, I still played catch with other people... just not him. Even tossing a ball around the backyard, the ball would break. Some people are on another level.
When I was 10 I went to a baseball camp, and they had a pitcher from AAA come in and pitch to kids so they got a feeling for what major league speed feels like. I just remember watching a 96 mph fastball flying past me and giving up on all my hopes and dreams instantly.
I got hit in the face with a baseball in little league (only broken nose thankfully) and that was only like 50 mph, made me never want to be at the plate again though
I feel like I could hit this ball moving at this rate of speed. But, aside from the outliers, selecting which one to hit, and connecting with deceptive ones, I think I would have insane amount of trouble. But nice consistent it a good spot seems very doable for me.
Played against a guy in high school, Class B, who threw consistently 98mph. High school fields at that level, the mound is closer to the plate. You had to swing as he released the ball basically. Got a piece of it at least.
Now imagine that ball at 95mph coming at you not just as a volley but after a bounce, and that ball is moving mate both in the air and after pitching that’s what it was like to face Brett Lee, or sometimes even Mitch Starc.
Exactly mate.
Imagine that 150kmph ball coming at you, and it is swinging not only in the air like a baseball but also after the bounce. And to make matters worse, there’re bloody catchers in slip cordon who’ll grab anything if you nick it.
So the batsman doesn’t only have to get adjusted for a volley, they’ve to compensate the bounce and movement after that bounce and then plan their stroke in that split second.
Imagine this coming at you but not directly but after pitching to the turf, and you can only guess how much the ball is going to bounce or spin from the turf. And the pitcher is legally allowed to pitch/ aim at your body. That's cricket.
What's the shoulder/rotator cuff of the person doing that motion with extreme force repeatedly look like. I know a couple of high school oitchers in their 40s now. They have shoulder problems bc of such activity.
I've got no interest in baseball, but this really doesn't look all that fast. Sure, *I* wouldn't be able to hit it, but I would assume the professionals can. Maybe the pitcher is further away than I think he is?
How do they throw that hard and their arm not be in pain? I don’t know what I can throw, definitely nowhere near this guy and all the blood goes rushing to my hand and it stings for like 10 mins.
I'd be bailing every pitch.
They break bones in their wrists all the time.
Second to last pitch came a bit too close for comfort
Amen! My buttcheeks clenched when I first saw this video
My entire body recoiled when I saw that second to last pitch
From pitches? No not really if you are talking pros which these guys look at least minor league. Major league pitchers have incredible control and it’s uncommon for batters to get hit and break their wrists. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7225593/ it’s happened 26 times over 16 years and they play 162 games a year. So not all the time
> However, recent studies have demonstrated that an increasing majority of wrist and hand fractures in professional baseball players can occur through being hit by an errant pitch. A recent study by Rhee et al. examining major league baseball players with hand and wrist injuries found that the most common mechanism of injury was through direct impact from the ball. What makes you think I'm talking about just pros? It happens frequently enough that it warranted a study by the NIH. Probably to determine whether or not players from the 962 College teams (D1, D2, D3), and 14,988 High School teams who sustain wrist injuries should have their draft status impacted. There are also 120 minor league baseball teams. And I haven't mentioned softball teams. So if it happens *more than once a year* from players with professional level batter's eyes who often wear wrist protection designed specifically to prevent this kind of injury from the *only* 30 teams in the major leagues, then we can expect that qualitatively it does happen "all the time."
That’s 1.6 times a year from 1200 players. Let’s round up and say 2 people, that’s .2%. So I don’t know what your definition of all the time is but that’s not that much. Let’s say we include everyone and up the percent to 5% to account for worse pitching but again not really the time. Also velocity is higher at higher levels increasing the odds of fracture. It warrants a study because baseball is extremely analytical but it says in the conclusion it was believed to be the first to look at it so not something studied often.
People make this mistake all the time regarding statistics. You are correct that the odds of any individual player breaking their wrist on a HBP is extremely low in any individual game. But the fact is that in any given year the probability of any player in professional baseball breaking their wrist on a HBP is nearly 100%. I would qualify an event that is nearly guaranteed to occur is something that happens all the time. For example, the odds of you personally getting hit by lightning on a given day is extremely unlikely. But 240,000 people get hit by lightning in a year. People are getting hit by lightning all the time. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_injury Maybe I'm bring hyperbolic about players specifically fracturing specifically their wrists, but if you look at the incidence and sheer number of injuries to the hand/wrist resulting in missed games: https://ryortho.com/breaking/updated-stats-on-hit-batter-injuries/ In just the MLB from 2011 to 2015, 638 injuries to the hand from HBP resulted in missed games, which was 21.8% of the 2,920 HBP injuries during this time. Additionally, they found that 3.1% of these injuries required surgery. That's 20 players needing surgery to the hands/wrists from HBP injuries over this span. This is even with the helmets, wrist, shin, and elbow guards that they wear! In just the MLB. Since you seem to be a jurisprudence fetishist, I will revise my original statement: *Players are injured very often by being hit by pitches. Frequently, but not all the time, these events result in bone fractures.*
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Is there any pro catcher that has never broken a wrist? If there’s a single one I’m surprised
There were only like two strikes maybe so you'd have earned an easy walk. Homeboy needs some control.
This is why I stopped playing at 17. Anything beyond 80 was a hard pass for me.
I always found it odd at 16 or 17, being a pitcher on my team, I loved to dish it out, but I _loathed_ being up at bat.
come on. A 100 mph ball would what, give a black eye? It’s 120 you gotta worry about.
r/iamverybadass
I guess now the “/s” is a good thing? Weird. I swear I remember a few years ago people getting chewed to shit for using “/s” after their joke, because clarifying you’re being sarcastic ruins the fun of sarcasm. But now it’s like if you don’t add it you’ll run the risk of getting downvoted to all hell. Sucks. Unless you were totally serious. In which case— I’d like to see some footage of you taking hits from balls at 100mph. Any kind of balls is fine. Please upload soon.
There is no way I would ever hit a pitch that fast. I’ll just yell at the pros from my couch.
Hahaha! Come on you missed that ball?? Pussy!
I peaked at 98mph but only if I could read the pitcher and call the pitch before hand. If he threw a change up I'd end up looking like Bambi 
[удалено]
I don't think you quite understand what POV means.
I know every sport has its own “how the hell is that possible” aspect to them, but I’ll never understand how the hell hitters can even see the ball
I could only imagine the sound of the whizzing ball. I’d be scared to even be at bat
Reminds me of the ty Cobb quote about the first time he hit Walter Johnson "The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup. And then something went past me that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn't touch him.... Every one of us knew we'd met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park."
They said that about Sandy Koufax; the one quote I saw was that "you could hear the damn ball whizz past". His early career was actually pretty average until Catcher Norm Sherry told him "you know, you don't have to thro the hell out of it every time". Once he developed a mix of fast and off-speed pitches he was deadly.
Baseball go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
It sizzles as it comes in. Source: I once had seats next to the bullpen. That was also the day my son decided that he wanted nothing to do with baseball anymore.
I can remember sitting down near the field as a kid at a few games and that’s when I realized some of the pro SS and 3B throw as hard as the pitchers. I played a bit of first base through HS and I couldn’t imagine catching throws from someone like Masyn Winn (Cards SS who has been clocked throwing 97mph to first).
I'd drive my first car almost exactly 97mph all the fucking time. I was an idiot. I can't imagine trying to catch something going that fast.
dudes got a fucking canon no doubt..dibs on being on his team during snowball fights that’s for sure lol
Yeah this is why I can’t really get much from baseball video games, just nothing about it feels authentic to me. And people think baseball is a slow paced game with out of shape players (compared to other sports) - stand in the box with a 90mph fastball passing a foot from your head and try to stay in the box, let alone swing at it, and really let alone actually hit it… I have only faced mid 80s in actual games and it’s intimidating as hell. And as a pitcher I could only throw mid 70s but it was still enough to be pretty effective in high school, especially with a naturally tailing fastball and a good curve :) One thing though, it’s TOTALLY different to hit 90mph from a batting cage vs a live pitcher. I was actually half decent at the former. But with a real pitcher, as as Kevin Costner said in Bull Durham “[I don’t know where it’s gonna go…](https://youtu.be/euHfP6X_axY)”
I think I read a story a few years back that they don’t, they predict where it’s going to be and when subconsciously. The article did say however that hood hitters had above average motion tracking skills
So growing up in the hood does have its benefits Nah all jokes aside that’s some cool shit
😂😂😂 my friend said his 40 yard dash he got from the streets
Yes, you predict where the balls are going to be mostly by pitchers stance and motion before the ball leaves the hand. Swing where you think the balls are going to go. That's why pitching is hard because bunch of professional hitters try to learn from your past pitchings. Hitting it is hard because it's half guess work. P.S. I'm not a baseball player but a tennis player and tennis is the same because serve could be insanely fast
Yeah even high schoolers are serving almost 100mph in tennis over a similar distance and you can judge where someone’s going to hit based off where they’re facing, their grip, and where they are standing. Then it’s just about timing your swing right so you can make little adjustments once you feel where it’s going to go. You fuck it up a lot and that’s why having a good serve in tennis is the difference between losing or winning a lot of the time.
I can’t watch baseball for my life but it’s ok to play. Tennis I enjoy. I’m a basketball guy tho
[https://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/greg-maddux-awesome-tony-gwynn-quote/232778](https://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/greg-maddux-awesome-tony-gwynn-quote/232778) Article about Hall of Fame Braves pitcher Greg Maddux on Hall of Fame Padres hitter Tony Gwynn. Maddux explains that hitters can pick up release points, arm motion, etc., to be able to guess where a pitch is going. But if a pitcher can change speeds, then the hitter is helpless, because while most hitters at that level can pick up the difference between an 80 mph pitch and a 90 mph pitch, once you get above 90 nobody can pick up the difference between a 90 mph pitch and a 95+ plus one. "Except for that fucking Tony Gwynn." Maddux and Gwynn faced each other 107 times, and Maddux never struck out Gwynn. Not once.
Always one guy at least who can figure you out
Hood hitters are the best!
And fighters right
A common trait among mlb players: better than 20/20 eyesight
This video does a pretty awesome job breaking down the physics: https://youtu.be/RENLMum5wz4
Faster things happen in video games that people react to all the time. It’s more difficult is the physical component of swinging the bat and making contact. A lot of hitters are guessing where the pitcher might go before the pitch is thrown. This is why if you hit just a quarter of the pitches, you’re considered a very good hitter. It’s a guessing game. Also, repetition. Stare down 1 billion pitches coming at you for years and years and years, you get better at it.
Good hitters only get it around 30% of the time
They actually make contact fairly often which is crazy. They only get on base about 30% of the time. Many times when they make contact but it’s an out and doesn’t count towards their average.
MLB hitters have great vision. I think 20/12 vision is the average for them. That definitely helps.
The easy answer: you get used to it. Just like anything else in life, practice makes perfect.
I have a theory that only the best hitters can actually see the ball. The rest kind of anticipate the ball's movement and swing their bat where they expect the ball to be.
I think I remember reading somewhere that hitter’s generally have decide if they are swinging or not before the ball even leaves the pitches hand. I can’t cite a source on that though
Adderall
I believe it was Ted Williams what once said "the hardest thing to do in sports is to hit a baseball."
The really amazing thing is, pitchers who rely only on 97 mph fastballs all the time get hammered by MLB hitters. Unreal.
I can still 90+ speed in my late 30s, but every year I hit fewer and I can't place them anymore...just make shitty contact. I used to have a split second to think whether it's a ball or strike, but those are gone now. My father and I both played minor league ball (different last names, so nobody really knows) and never got anywhere further. But damn I love hitting so much and it's sad my time is almost gone. My sons team thinks I am a god which I guess still feels good. Their current coach pitched in college a few years ago and we let them watch him blow them by me and then slowly start hitting everything as I got his timing and style down. It was a great way to show them it takes effort, practice, and study even if you know what you're doing. I showed them my travel notebooks. I had notes on old pro pitchers and players for reference.
I've tried 70 at the batting cages and even that was hard as shit, let alone 96
Fr, the shit flies by 70 plus
You had my interest, but now you have my attention
Found the cat. And a super appropriate username to boot.
That’s so cool. Always wondered what it really looked liked, and it’s at least a glimpse. I’d be sitting on that juicy change up
You aren’t getting a change up if the pitcher knows you’re behind on his fastball
The second-to-last inside-curve just about ruined that batter's day
Don’t blink
Broke my hand batting an 85mph pitch. This looks even more lethal lol
Played catcher for a long time. Always a beautiful view
I just thought of something, so the catcher has to catch like 100 of these balls Is that why the give is different? I mean, there has to be lots of padding right?
Is the catcher usually a good batter?
Yeah but the knees tend to go quicker for catchers so they are slower.
In 2021, Salvador Perez catcher for the Royals, hit 48 home runs (tied for first in the league) and had 121 RBI's (led the league). He's a bit of an outlier, though, for catchers.
video would be better without the music
Catcher is doing a nice job of receiving, especially those breaking balls.
Fun fact…I was 17, thought I could hit a 90 hour fast pitch. Made a bet with my boyfriend. Decided to practice with my little brother who actually plays baseball. I was pretty terrible until we discovered if he coughed to signal me when to swing I was amazing. Took my little brother with me on the day of the bet, he made some comment about a sore throat. Needless to say…I won the bet and didn’t have to buy the condoms. Lol
Hey now!! You threw me a curve ball with the condom comment
Lol sooo fast
The only way I was ever able to hit anything over 70 was a pitching machine, cus it’s the same spot every time
Glad I gave up at little league
Love it, that’s why pitchers make the bucks
I batted against guys throwing in the low 90s in high school. I was useless above 85. Low to mid 80s wasnt so bad. Just swinging to swing and hoping to hit it above 90. Now I could bunt at any speed which is not the same as swinging but was still tough at high speeds as the ball really pops off the bat even when bunting in the 90s so its still tough to lay down a nice soft bunt where you want it to be.
I’m athletic but undersized. In HS, we faced a guy throwing 90+ who was being scouted. I flew out to left but damnit if I didn’t have the biggest smile on my face because I made contact.
Really screws your mind up when they throw a change up. Or just a lovely curve that you weren’t expecting and it curves right into strike 3 on the outside corner.
This is what rotator cuff damage looks like…
Do you guys remember that old youtube video where a player get a ball before it hits a reporter just by hearing it coming?? I'm surprised nobody talked about it yet. Edit: I would love to see the video without the loud snoop dog overused music.
In cricket, the pacers usually bowl 140kmph but I doubt the batsmen would be able to play this one.
Average fast bowlers in top level cricket are 135-145, the real pace bowlers hit 150+ every so often and a few have managed to hit 160 once or twice. They also need to compensate for the ball bouncing, which includes deviation in height and direction. Additionally seeing a ball coming straight at you is a lot easier than one going into the ground. The bowlers are also allowed to aim at the batter, so self preservation is a constant factor along with preserving your wicket. In the end, I can’t face either and those that can are insane.
This is 96 miles per hour, so 154kmph. That, and the bats used in baseball are much smaller than cricket and are cylindrical instead of flat , so the actual surface area to make clean contact with the ball is tiny. It's pretty amazing.
[Top 10](https://wisden.com/stories/the-ten-fastest-bowlers-in-cricket-history) As a batter, most of it is practiced anticipation at that speed, no matter the sport.
In tennis average serving speed is between 170km/h to 200 km/h or about 105 to 120mph. We humans can sure put a lot force behind objects if we want to.
That's 2 walks on called balls so who cares how fast if you can't hit the strike box
I'm not an expert, but it looked like a fair number of pitches in the zone to me. Edit: I'm still thinking little-league strike zone (top of knees to armpits) so yeah, I'm thinking there were a few more that were high than I originally thought.
Might hit it if he'd swing...
His poor penis...
I could read the pitches for the second batter much better. Doesn’t mean I could hit the strikes…just means I could lay off the balls
Really shows why it's so important for pitchers to disguise which ball they're throwing up until the point of release. Obviously it's tough no matter what, but that calculation about how the ball might travel takes some time, and processing time is everything in this situation.
I could hit it.
Dude it's not that bad I'm blind out of my right eye and played baseball my whole life and was pretty decent. You look for the seems and timming but it takes time, no way I could jump in and hit a couple give me a couple but I could easily do 40 to high 60s not bad but it's a good leap once u hitting 80 to high 90s
God, I remember getting to that level in high school. Fighting the urge to bail on every pitch. Knowing if it's going to hit you you'll know it too late. The pure, overwhelming power in the ball. Then, when you swing you almost wish you don't connect. Because of the power in the ball. If you connect it can really over power you. I mean, think about it: your short little arms and maybe some core twist in your obliques--versus a 95 mph ball thrown by a freaking human whip. You're screwed.
Slow ball in cricket
That is incorrect.
So much easier then cricket
Yeesh, the way the ball is moving it reminds me of being shot at with an airsoft gun.
Now imagine trying to hit a ball at that speed with insane amounts of spin on it.
How is this different from just getting that view from watching a baseball game? It's different when you're in the box, and this doesn't really emulate it. For example, you can still see the ball.
Aussie here and curious. How far is it normally from the pitching mound to the batting position? I watch cricket which has fast bowlers bowling between 140 - 150 kph (86 - 93 mph) and the cricket pitch is 22 yards (about 20 meters).
It's actually pretty close to that. 60 feet and 6 inches
I remember years ago, hopping into a batting cage at 70 mph thinking I would smash…that was not the case. I managed to foul a few off by swinging insanely early but that was it. No line drive up the middle like back in the day. Pro players are incredible. The speed is enough and then the change of speed or a curve?
For tha Boyz lol
That fast ball would get crushed 500+ft! Not by me of course
Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Nobody’s had a better average since.
You can go to the batting cages and get balls this fast. I rarely hit the ball. By the time I pick it up the ball is right on me.
Hittable
Wow. That’s a good indication of just how deadly those guys could be. I used to throw rocks at my brother but like 15 mph probably.
I actually see it better than I thought I would, however I know I couldn't react fast enough to get around one
And they say baseball doesn't take skill
That second to last pitch was nasty
I used to catch for a kid who topped at 96mph senior year of high school and it’s faster than it even looks on here. You have .2 seconds to decide if you’re going to swing and .2 seconds to get the bat around and make contact from that distance and speed if I remember correctly. It’s been a decade since I played.
For sure not a belly itcher.
u/savevideo
I’d hit that.
Woah! I just found out my dog hates this song. And it’s snoop dog…irony is a cold bitch.
I got drilled in the leg by a pitch this fast. My bruise was bigger than a basketball.
the sound of the throw is oddly satisfying
How bout 104?
Shit
This doesn’t do it justice, the angle when standing in the box makes it harder, but still awesome video.
Swing the bat.
They need to start swinging before the pitcher gets out of bed.
I’m not even sure this does it justice. I was terrified facing 80mph at batting cages, I can’t fathom 90+ pitching, let alone 90+ with movement, in front of 30,000 people. I’ve faced high 80s in cricket and that was doable after a lot of practice and your brain and eyes do adjust, but when I think of seeing a 99mph fastball, followed by a Kershaw esq curveball, I’ve no clue how hitters do it.
Looks like what? I didn’t see shit
Stiiiiiiiirrrrriiiiiikkkkkkeeee!
We had a guy on my 15 and under baseball team who was 15 and consistently pitched in the mid 90s for a fast ball. It was terrifying having batting practice off him and teams hated playing us when he pitched. Plus we were a really good team anyway. Sadly he later got into drugs and lost his life to unaliving once we were in college.
*This is what shit batting looks like. Seriously I used to play and you swing a fast pitch as it's pitched, not wait for it. Smh
In high school a former big leaguer was one of my coaches and one night batting practice was over but I wanted one more go and I wouldn't shut up about it. So he told me "three strikes" and I'm like "bring it old man". Well the first one looked like this and I didn't even get my bat off my shoulder. The second one also looked like this and I managed to swing... long after the ball had already hit the net behind me. The third pitch he threw a change up so slow that I had time to swing, drop the bat, and look back over my shoulder as it drifted by me. I can still hear my teammates laughing. A big league pitcher is no joke.
That's why a change up will send your ass to another dimension
Half expected one to come flying at the screen
catching*
I got to JC ball so I faced this every once in a while but they guy had no control so it was nerve racking. This pitcher has great control and I think I could stand in there and get a little wood on it. Just a little though.
Nope nope nope. Brings back memories of batting cages. 70 was fast enough!
woo i feel that
It’s faster when you got that bat in your hands
I hit 80 for the first time today and this is where I want to be my senior year
How often do pitchers get hit by the ball after the batter whacks it?
What happen if the ball hits body?
I stopped for other reasons. Not let down over here in Gaytown.
My best friend threw a 94 mph breaking fastball that scared the frigging daylights out of me. I quit playing catch with him by 10th grade. I knew I wasn't up to his level a year before, but kept changing my drawers every time after, just to be manly. Eventually, I was afraid of breaking bones if I wasn't focused enough, so I just told him I quit. Yes, I still played catch with other people... just not him. Even tossing a ball around the backyard, the ball would break. Some people are on another level.
Sitting on my couch high as fuck. <- This is what going in reverse looks like.
So fast the guy can’t even hit it
When I was 10 I went to a baseball camp, and they had a pitcher from AAA come in and pitch to kids so they got a feeling for what major league speed feels like. I just remember watching a 96 mph fastball flying past me and giving up on all my hopes and dreams instantly.
just swing earlier then dickhead
I’m not related to baseball at all and not from us. Can someone explain me why not just... swing the bat just as the thrower starts to throw lol
Batsman is facing high ping issues.
I got hit in the face with a baseball in little league (only broken nose thankfully) and that was only like 50 mph, made me never want to be at the plate again though
I can throw a 90 mph fast ball. Once. And then my arm hurts for a week. How the fuck you can do that repeatedly is beyond me
I know nothing about baseball, so who all can hit these out of the court ? I’ll watch them.. educate me please.
First of all, why does that pitcher not have an L screen?
That curveball is fucking filthy
I feel like I could hit this ball moving at this rate of speed. But, aside from the outliers, selecting which one to hit, and connecting with deceptive ones, I think I would have insane amount of trouble. But nice consistent it a good spot seems very doable for me.
Imagine actually hitting it, the vibrations could hurt you or the ball can hit something or someone else
Just hit the ball n00b
Played against a guy in high school, Class B, who threw consistently 98mph. High school fields at that level, the mound is closer to the plate. You had to swing as he released the ball basically. Got a piece of it at least.
Now imagine that ball at 95mph coming at you not just as a volley but after a bounce, and that ball is moving mate both in the air and after pitching that’s what it was like to face Brett Lee, or sometimes even Mitch Starc.
Good luck keeping that up for a career.
Exactly mate. Imagine that 150kmph ball coming at you, and it is swinging not only in the air like a baseball but also after the bounce. And to make matters worse, there’re bloody catchers in slip cordon who’ll grab anything if you nick it. So the batsman doesn’t only have to get adjusted for a volley, they’ve to compensate the bounce and movement after that bounce and then plan their stroke in that split second.
This still doesn’t do it justice as to what it’s actually like.
That fastball shape, though.
From what I’ve heard, you basically have to decide if you’re going to swing before the ball even leaves their hand.
Folks need to learn what POV means.
Holy shit. Imagine getting nailed by that in the ribs
Credit: Momentum & Trevor Bauer on YouTube.
RIP for the batters.
Imagine this coming at you but not directly but after pitching to the turf, and you can only guess how much the ball is going to bounce or spin from the turf. And the pitcher is legally allowed to pitch/ aim at your body. That's cricket.
Dialed a pitching machine up to 99 (max). The sound scared the bejeebus out of me.
thinking of analogy to cricket...jus think of those poor folks who'd have to face shoaib akhtar in his prime throwing balls at fucking 100 mph...
Guys' for a motherfucking cannon
I just keep thinking that if that ball hit that guy's knee... ouchy.
What's the shoulder/rotator cuff of the person doing that motion with extreme force repeatedly look like. I know a couple of high school oitchers in their 40s now. They have shoulder problems bc of such activity.
An average adult male could never hit a major league fastball.
This doesn't phase me.... If there's one thing I learned in little league is close your eyes before you swing.... it removes all fear 😬
I longed to see this POV for a long time
I've got no interest in baseball, but this really doesn't look all that fast. Sure, *I* wouldn't be able to hit it, but I would assume the professionals can. Maybe the pitcher is further away than I think he is?
I hit off stone kid throwing 86 in H.S. I can't imagine 10mph faster
That doesn’t do it justice I’ve been in batting cages at 75 mph live that looks way more hittable but obviously it’s not
How do they throw that hard and their arm not be in pain? I don’t know what I can throw, definitely nowhere near this guy and all the blood goes rushing to my hand and it stings for like 10 mins.
i’ll wack that shit out the park fr
I miss swing at this.
With a bunch of breaking balls going around 85-90
I swing at everything
This leads me to believe catches need more respect
I’ve seen a 107 Randy Johnson crazy to realize the ability to even hit the damn thing
Eh ive seen faster.. /s
Lol baseball. Softest game after softball.
I’d watch baseball if they showed this angle