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re: Have you ever tried to hit a 90 mph fastball?
Posted on 5/31/22 at 9:37 pm to geauxkoo
Posted on 5/31/22 at 9:37 pm to geauxkoo
My Senior year in high school we had 4 guys who signed D1, so we saw a good but of velo in intrasquads. One of our guys was 92-93 but as someone said earlier it was the off speed that kills you. I was primarily a pitcher my whole life and although I never touched 90 I was 85-87 and could run it to 89, and I always thought I would strike out against myself a ton. Anything over 85 started getting uncomfortable at that age. Somehow after a couple years of drinking in college I was asked to go throw in a summer league to the local college players and batted against an LSU pitcher for the hell of it and actually fared much better than I expected
1
Posted on 5/31/22 at 9:50 pm to dirtytigers
In HS batted against this kid from across town that I'd grown up playing ball against. Big arm, threw 88-90 mph. We're playing a DH and he's on the mound first game and I'm in the 5 hole. He's a bit wild that day and I get up in the first with 2 on and 2 out. Don't remember the count, maybe 2-0, and his next pitch rides up and in and before I could think to get out of the way or tuck, bang, right in the face.
Lucky it caught me square on the side of the jaw and all I suffered were a few seam marks and I was knocked out. Woke up to head coach and my buddy standing over me. First thing I uttered was Fuuuuucccc..... My buddy says "He's ok, he can still say F---.".
Couldn't understand why coach wouldn't let me play the rest of the day. I thought I was fine. Since I was knocked the F out i obviously wasn't fine.
Lucky it caught me square on the side of the jaw and all I suffered were a few seam marks and I was knocked out. Woke up to head coach and my buddy standing over me. First thing I uttered was Fuuuuucccc..... My buddy says "He's ok, he can still say F---.".
Couldn't understand why coach wouldn't let me play the rest of the day. I thought I was fine. Since I was knocked the F out i obviously wasn't fine.
This post was edited on 5/31/22 at 9:51 pm
Posted on 5/31/22 at 10:00 pm to SoDakHawk
Only profession in the world, where being successful 30% of the time gets you a 500 million dollar raise. Incredibly hard sport.
Posted on 5/31/22 at 10:06 pm to chalmetteowl
quote:
quote:
I don't know how they, baseball players, do it.
You hit this one on the head (pardon the pun)
They’re baseball players. You’re not. They train for this shite, everyday. They know what the pitchers they face throw
It’s pure reflex. The more such pitches you see, the slower they get in your mind. You learn to conquer your fear
Now the curveball, learning to sit back on off speed, that separates the men from the boys
Ok...... Thanks.
Posted on 5/31/22 at 10:06 pm to geauxkoo
We had a guy in HS throwing low 90s on our team... ended up pitching for Southern but had offers from Arky and Bama most notably... stayed in BR for family reasons
Would have to bat against him in practice... was an absolute blast, but there was always the thought in the back of your mind of what if one gets away
Got one hit off him
Would have to bat against him in practice... was an absolute blast, but there was always the thought in the back of your mind of what if one gets away
Got one hit off him
Posted on 5/31/22 at 10:11 pm to TheArrogantCorndog
I played college and professio al golf… I have hand eye coordination… and I played baseball and football and basketball in HS at a varsity level. Nothing made me feel more uncomfortable than standing in the box and having no clue what was going to be thrown next. Gayest I ever hit was maybe low 80s and I wasn’t good at it. People
Often say golf is the hardest sport, and I agree to an extent… but hitting a moving ball from a human is very hard and people make
It look easy
Often say golf is the hardest sport, and I agree to an extent… but hitting a moving ball from a human is very hard and people make
It look easy
Posted on 5/31/22 at 10:15 pm to geauxkoo
Yes, in HS.
Went back to the cages a year ago, and I’m 30 now, and I could barely touch 85 mph. It doesn’t help that you can’t see the release point of a pitches arm on a machine, but it was coming way faster than I remember.
Went back to the cages a year ago, and I’m 30 now, and I could barely touch 85 mph. It doesn’t help that you can’t see the release point of a pitches arm on a machine, but it was coming way faster than I remember.
Posted on 5/31/22 at 10:17 pm to AZTiger7072
quote:Gay, you say?
Gayest I ever hit was maybe low 80s and I wasn’t good at it.
Posted on 5/31/22 at 10:22 pm to geauxkoo
I remember playing semipro ball back in 2006, I was 25. This guy was throwing mid-90’s. I knew a fastball was coming so I started my swing way early. I was still late but made contact and blooped it into right field. That was one of two total hits all day for us and it was pure luck.
Posted on 5/31/22 at 10:57 pm to BeachDude022
I was a very good baseball player my senior year. Top 3 in a 1M population metro in batting average for the year. Think I finished 2nd in our 6A league. I don’t say they to be pretentious, but because despite that, I saw 89-92 a handful of times in high school/summer, and always struggled. We had a kid that threw 90+, had a curve, change and slider. Morning before prom we played them in a double header. He pitched the first game. I went 0-5 with 3ks looking and nowhere close on the ones I swing at. There is no more helpless feeling than being down 0-2 in a count and knowing a guy can throw 4 pitches to try and get you out. As others have mentioned, that’s what makes it tough.
On another note, winter before my senior year, Mike Pelfrey used to come back to train before spring training. At the time, he was a key man for the Mets. He trained where we had indoor practice and would have us seniors stand in the box while he grew sessions. You want to talk about terrifying. That’s it, even with complete command of his stuff.
On another note, winter before my senior year, Mike Pelfrey used to come back to train before spring training. At the time, he was a key man for the Mets. He trained where we had indoor practice and would have us seniors stand in the box while he grew sessions. You want to talk about terrifying. That’s it, even with complete command of his stuff.
This post was edited on 5/31/22 at 10:59 pm
Posted on 5/31/22 at 11:05 pm to TexasTiger08
When I was 13, I played on a really good team that was heading into a multi-state tourney in Mississippi. In preparation, our coach brought a pitching machine to practice, set it to 85mph & said “figure it out”. And after a while, we did. By the end of practice, we could pretty much all get around on it with regularity. Then we proceeded to kick everyone’s arse in the tourney except the last team (lost a close one on a late homer). Fun fact: Kurt Ainsworth was our short stop.
Posted on 5/31/22 at 11:06 pm to geauxkoo
92
Posted on 5/31/22 at 11:07 pm to geauxkoo
Yep. My first two high school homeruns came off a big lefty that was drafted in the second round by the Cardinals. I was in the ninth grade and bat left handed. I just didn't want to strike out in front of my girlfriend.
Posted on 5/31/22 at 11:15 pm to geauxkoo
a long time ago i hit a few pitches in the 90s playing 5A high school baseball.
a few thoughts, in no order:
1) its easier to hit a 90 mph fastball when it's coming from a human (with a wind up) than out of a pitching machine.
2) practice practice practice practice practice (etc).
3) drills - like soft-toss which we did alot of - taught us to really attack the ball at the top of its arc (a fleeting moment in time). sort of unloading in one sudden pop of the bat.
4) related to comment 1 above, we were taught to approach every pitch as if we were going to swing - as in start the process of shifting weight,etc so that while the ball is in the air you are essentially simultaneously deciding if you are swinging or taking and where you are swinging. in other words once youve done the weight shifting and other pre-load aspects of a swing - it allows you to pop the bat around at the same time you are deciding to swing.
i probably did a terrible job explaining but this was more or less my mental thought process. it is hard but certainy doable. fastest pitch i knew i saw (from scouts telling us later) was from a guy named Damon Simms from Belaire HS in the early 90s. He was hitting 96 mph that day. i didnt get a hit against him but i made contact and put the ball in play.
a few thoughts, in no order:
1) its easier to hit a 90 mph fastball when it's coming from a human (with a wind up) than out of a pitching machine.
2) practice practice practice practice practice (etc).
3) drills - like soft-toss which we did alot of - taught us to really attack the ball at the top of its arc (a fleeting moment in time). sort of unloading in one sudden pop of the bat.
4) related to comment 1 above, we were taught to approach every pitch as if we were going to swing - as in start the process of shifting weight,etc so that while the ball is in the air you are essentially simultaneously deciding if you are swinging or taking and where you are swinging. in other words once youve done the weight shifting and other pre-load aspects of a swing - it allows you to pop the bat around at the same time you are deciding to swing.
i probably did a terrible job explaining but this was more or less my mental thought process. it is hard but certainy doable. fastest pitch i knew i saw (from scouts telling us later) was from a guy named Damon Simms from Belaire HS in the early 90s. He was hitting 96 mph that day. i didnt get a hit against him but i made contact and put the ball in play.
Posted on 5/31/22 at 11:29 pm to geauxkoo
I’ve never been good at baseball so I didn’t even bother to try. My friend is Japanese and played college baseball in Japan. It’s not as competitive as US college ball but far more seriousnthan any college sports in Europe. They would practice 5-6 times a week, etc
He wasn’t good enough to go beyond that level so they converted to him to cricket. He played on their national team, which as far as I understand is not good at all internationally.
We were at the batting cages at the Tokyo Dome and it was very interesting. First there were multiple kids who were practicing while their fathers quietly took notes and/or videos of their sons batting. He went into the cages and picked to the highest setting, 140 km/hour which is 87.5 mph and he made solid contact on almost every pitch.
Of course there’s no movement, and that’s where the difference between pros and good rec league players is found.
He wasn’t good enough to go beyond that level so they converted to him to cricket. He played on their national team, which as far as I understand is not good at all internationally.
We were at the batting cages at the Tokyo Dome and it was very interesting. First there were multiple kids who were practicing while their fathers quietly took notes and/or videos of their sons batting. He went into the cages and picked to the highest setting, 140 km/hour which is 87.5 mph and he made solid contact on almost every pitch.
Of course there’s no movement, and that’s where the difference between pros and good rec league players is found.
This post was edited on 5/31/22 at 11:31 pm
Posted on 5/31/22 at 11:41 pm to TidenUP
quote:
Just about every hitter can gear up for the fastball. It's the offspeed pitches when you are looking fastball that make you look foolish.
are you saying Jesus Christ can’t hit a curveball?
Posted on 5/31/22 at 11:45 pm to geauxkoo
Hitting major league pitching is the hardest thing to do in sports.
Posted on 6/1/22 at 12:59 am to jkylejohnson
quote:
I faced a guy in high school in the allstar game that threw 96. Pretty sure he was from deridder and signed with the Mets.
Correction- he signed with Detroit tigers.
Played against that dude a couple times. His fastball was legit but his slider was downright horrifying
Posted on 6/1/22 at 2:32 am to geauxkoo
The documentary Fastball is eye-opening.
How the human eye can't even process a 100 MPH fastball... And the hitter thinks the ball is rising when that's impossible according to physics. The ball is dropping the minute it leaves A pitcher's hand but batters are fooled.
Ted Williams by all accounts had tremendous eyesight which helped make him a great hitter.
Forget steroids, every major leaguer must have quietly gotten lasik eye surgery.
How the human eye can't even process a 100 MPH fastball... And the hitter thinks the ball is rising when that's impossible according to physics. The ball is dropping the minute it leaves A pitcher's hand but batters are fooled.
Ted Williams by all accounts had tremendous eyesight which helped make him a great hitter.
Forget steroids, every major leaguer must have quietly gotten lasik eye surgery.
This post was edited on 6/1/22 at 2:36 am
Posted on 6/1/22 at 4:08 am to geauxkoo
quote:
geauxkoo
This guy is a huge clown
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