It seems like such an easy game to play. Hit the Ball, run the bases, catch the ball, throw the ball. Simple. Simple doesn’t mean easy. Baseball requires some of the highest level of skill in all of sports. It is the most difficult simple game there is. So, think you can hit a 95-mph fastball right down the middle of the plate into fair territory? Heck, we’ll give you 10 chances. I’m willing to wager the vast majority of the human race, including me, wouldn’t be able to do it.
I’m not talking trash here either. Let’s be real, major league baseball players can only do this statistically 2-3 out of 10 times. And that’s a good average! A player that can hit on average 3 out of 10 times for their career is dang near a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. So, what makes it so difficult to do such a simple thing? Let’s break down the anatomy of hitting a 95-mph fastball.
A Major League pitcher’s mound is 60 feet 6 inches away from the back of home plate. Some other ways to look at this…The length of about four medium sized cars parked bumper to bumper. An average bowling lane. Ten 6-foot-tall people laying on the ground. The point is… not very far away.
Now add the speed of the baseball. For our anatomy breakdown we’re using a 95-mph fastball. Ever been stranded on the side of the freeway with cars going past you at 70 mph?(they’re all going exactly the speed limit of course). A 95-mph ball being thrown at you from only about 60 feet away! Just how long does it take to get to home plate? I’ll pause so you can use the math your high school teacher said you would have to use in the future. About half a second. Half a second! Let’s break the anatomy down even further.
A 95 mph fastball thrown from only about 60 feet away takes only about ½ a second to reach home plate. I want you to find a stopwatch and stop it at the ½ second mark to see first hand just how fast this is. Let’s add to it. In that half a second time the batter has several things they have to do to be successful.
First, they have to determine based on the release and rotation of the ball that it is a fastball. Why? Well for various reasons… timing, end location, drop, etc. Second, they have to determine if the pitch is going to be hittable (it’s going to be a strike), or unhittable (it’s going to be a ball). Third, they have to decide to either swing or not swing. Fourth, they actually have to go through the motions of a swing with the correct timing. Lastly, they have to make proper connection with the ball in the sweet spot of the barrel of the bat. Simple right.
Let’s recap:
Half a second to:
- Figure out the pitch is a fastball
- Decide if the pitch is a strike or a ball
- Decide to swing or not to swing
- Go through the motions of a swing with the proper timing
- Hit the ball in the correct area with the bat
How much time does a batter have to do all of this decision making. Obviously it’s shorter than half a second. By that time the ball is already in the catcher’s mitt. A batter has approximately 0.2 seconds to make that decision. In other words, a fifth of a second (check out the science here https://www.fox13news.com/news/fast-pitching-world-series) . Now try that on your stopwatch.
By now this should all be making sense why a player that can only be successful 30% of the time is still a darn (sorry to be using all this trashy language) good player.
Think you can still hit a 95 mph fastball? How about this… think you could throw a 95 mph fastball? Let us know in the comments.
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