Baseball speed: The speed of the throw is that fast
If professionals throw a baseball, it will reach a high speed. But the throwing speed is not the most important point that ultimately makes a good pitch - as the throwing in baseball is called -.
Baseball speed: The speed of the throw is that fast
- Ultimately, what appears to be so simple on television is high art combined with endless training sessions: the throw of baseball. After all, the goal is to throw the ball in such a way that the opponent cannot hit it - at least not so that he can score a possible point for his team. So there are several factors that play a role in throwing. Throwing speed, trajectory and accuracy play a very important role.
- If the baseball is thrown quickly and hard, the hitter, that is the man with the bat, cannot calculate the ball so quickly. The response time decreases with the speed of the ball. The fastest thrown ball is called "fastball" in technical jargon.
- With this type of throw, the ball is held with the tips of the fingers. To be precise, with the tips of the index and middle fingers of the throwing hand. Here the crests are on the long side of the ball seam of the ball. Then the throw is carried out with the whole arm and the wrist flying forward.
- When throwing, the pitcher lets the baseball roll over the tops, so to speak. So there is a backward twist. In conjunction with the direction of the running seams under the ball that run in the direction of the flight, this twist ensures extremely high speeds when throwing. You will be amazed at the throwing speeds achieved by the professional pitchers with strong throws.
- In the top division of the USA, the Major League, fastballs finish at an average speed of around 145 km / h. This value results from the litters measured in the league. It represents the mean value of the throws. Throwers who achieve extremely good and hard throws actually reach the incredible speed of 153 km / h.
- By the way: The fastest measured throws even achieved 161 km / h.
If you are fascinated by the speed that baseball can reach, we may have sparked your interest in this sport. So that you also know what it is about, we will explain the baseball rules in an easy-to-understand manner in the next sports article.