How the 105-mph Fastball Tests the Limits of the Human Body

Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
10,008
Reputation
2,515
Daps
15,899
Reppin
HAWAII
Physics of a Baseball Pitch - Baseball Pitch Speed Record - Popular Mechanics


some highlights:


Another cause of the 100-mph ceiling owes to this: the amount of torque needed to throw in excess of the century mark is greater than the amount of force the ulnar collateral ligament (the elbow ligament Strasburg tore) can withstand before giving out, according to tests Fleisig has done on cadavers. When a pitcher cocks his arm, where it is turned back to the point where the palm is facing toward the sky, there's about 100 Newton-meters of torque on the arm, which subjects the arm to the same amount of stress as if the pitcher had a 60-pound weight hanging from his hand in that position, Fleisig says.

From that cocked position, the arm snaps forward to its release point in 0.03 seconds, and at its peak speed, an elite pitcher's arm rotates at upward of 8500 degrees per second. If that single instant of speed could be maintained, then a pitcher's arm would spin around 24 times in a second.

"Shoulder rotation in baseball pitching is the fastest motion of any joint in any athlete," Fleisig says; moving faster than hip joints in sprinters or shoulders in elite tennis players.
 

TheNig

Dr.TheNig DDS
Supporter
Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
58,939
Reputation
6,839
Daps
126,411
Reppin
Brolic... Alcoholics
it hurts when a guy throws a change up. maybe even a 2 seam going about 90. but 105 is probably breaking bones and shyt.
 

Bilz

Superstar
Joined
May 2, 2012
Messages
16,164
Reputation
1,365
Daps
37,354
Reppin
Los Angeles
I guess it makes sense that there would be a biological reason that all of the best pitchers seem to peak between 95-100 regardless of height/weight and there isn't one freak out there throwing 115 (I don't believe the Sidd Finch/Steve Dalkowski stories)

Then again, I knew people that only threw in the 60s and 70s that had their arms fall apart :manny:
 

Eternal Tecate

Superstar
Joined
May 2, 2012
Messages
7,587
Reputation
3,434
Daps
20,518
Dudes who throw that hard usually overpower their way to the Majors and never develop other pitches/good control and end up sucking. Successful pitchers are successful because of location and deception not speed.
 

Bilz

Superstar
Joined
May 2, 2012
Messages
16,164
Reputation
1,365
Daps
37,354
Reppin
Los Angeles
Dudes who throw that hard usually overpower their way to the Majors and never develop other pitches/good control and end up sucking. Successful pitchers are successful because of location and deception not speed.

You can be successful just blowing the ball by people as long as your arm holds up but it's just an energy killer to do that. Even if you can maintain that velocity, it's often by overcompensating in ways that make the ball straighten out. On the other hand, if you can throw 100 effortlessly, you're going to dominate even if you don't have command or secondary pitches.

People were always surprised I could pitch a ton of innings on short rest or even no rest but I used my fastball sparingly more like a changeup. I could throw curve balls and other offspeed pitches all day long and even if I didnt get outs early in the count, it wouldnt wear me out. There are times I had shytty teams behind me and I had to just blow the ball by people to get outs and after 2-3 innings, I'd be done.
 

jadillac

Veteran
Joined
Apr 30, 2012
Messages
58,547
Reputation
9,917
Daps
180,486
it hurts when a guy throws a change up. maybe even a 2 seam going about 90. but 105 is probably breaking bones and shyt.

If you get hit in the head by Aroldis Chapman, you better have your house in order. :wow:
 
Top