Currently, the most interesting player might be Shohei Ohtani. He is both an excellent pitcher and an excellent power hitter. This is a VERY rare combination. Like once a generation sort of thing. He's always in the MVP conversation. Could be a good starting point for players.
9:30 it’s funny that you mentioned that. There’s actually a pitch clock that they just implemented this year. A pitcher has 15 seconds to throw the ball when the bases are empty, and 20 seconds to throw the ball when they are men on base. It’s hard to surprise a batter with an oncoming pitch though, every pitcher has a wind up motion that they do before they send it.
For context of the seams; it's the literal seams of the ball (the red stitching) and modifying the grip/adjusting how it snaps off the fingers is how you can throw a sinker, cutter, two seam etc.
Just found your channel but personally I like the pauses and hearing your thoughts on it. I've loved baseball my entire life so its interesting and fun to hear what new people think about it.
The guy catching the pitch is called the catcher. He’s doing more than catching. He’s giving the pitcher signs with his hand telling the pitcher what pitch to throw, and he’s scanning the field for runners trying to steal bases. He’s got his eye on everything going on.
Pause that video man! We're here to share you absorbing these games we love. Take your time. It certainly took all of us quite a while to figure these things out as kids.
The 2/4 seam is in reference to how many points of contact your finger have with the seams of the ball. The index and middle fingers are what gives the ball its spin and how they are touching the seams determines if it moves or not. If you’re holding the ball where both fingers are completely and covering one individual seam you’ve got a 2 seamer. If you’re holding it where the seams are perpendicular with your fingers then both fingers are touching both seams so now it’s a 4 seamer.
12:20 on the screwball, the reason that it isn't thrown anymore isn't because it gets hit, but rather the way you release a screwball feels awkward. Since it moves opposite of the natural movement of a curveball you put torque on the elbow going in a way that feels unnatural.This led to belief that it will kill you elbow quicker and get injured more often. in reality it does feel awkward, but it is just as bad for your arm as throwing any other pitch. Pitching in general is bad for arm and elbow, injury isn't uncommon.
I threw a screwball since I was a kid for over 20 years and if you throw it the right way it puts very little strain on your elbow or ucl compared to other pitches. A hard slider sits on the opposite end of the damage spectrum for the elbow. It can be vulnerable for your shoulder though. The real issue with the screwball is that it is simply not a highly effective pitch compared to a circle change or palmball. You can get similar action on it but it is less deceptive, and I will grant that it is ultimately harder on your arm than a circle change is.
The player catching the pitch is called the catcher, I would recommend looking up "best catchers throws" ond youtube because it is really quite impressive.
Also (you know this but adding for OP) the catcher calls the pitches with the signals. He’s the real reason behind a successful pitcher. Knowing what to throw based on batter. Also the manager sometimes signals to the catcher what to pitch.
I love watching some cricket sometimes, i got into it several years ago. I think baseball is much more exciting than cricket though, way more going on and just more to the game. I think you will enjoy baseball once you understand it more. Once you know the extreme basics, you can watch and follow a game, the rest will come just from watching games. There use to be no timer in baseball for a pitcher to make his pitch, however, this year is the 1st year they have a timer for the pitcher to make a pitch, but the rule is in place to pick up the pace of the game. The batter knows when the pitch is coming, when the pitcher's foot is on the rubber (pitcher's foot has to be on it), and he starts his wind up to throw the pitch, this is when the batter knows when to be ready for the ball.
A ball that moves around or breaks isn't just harder to hit . It also fools the batter into thinking it's NOT a STRIKE. Batters will let it go by them if they think it's not in the strike zone . 4 balls = an automatic walk to 1st base . Plus who ever is a head in the "count" between the pitcher/hitter has the advantage. 1 ball & 2 strikes pitchers advantage . He can afford to throw trick pitches that are less accurate. 3 balls & 1 strike batters advantage. Batter knows pitcher must throw a more accurate fast ball in the strike zone .. It's a mental game at the plate.
1st watched your reaction to the big Home Runs now this, love how much you want to absorb the info. Planned on subscribing after the 1st video then this video started and the 1st thing I see is that sweet Mighty Hammers shirt! Definitely subscribing now!
If you're looking to get into baseball check out the highlights from the final of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. It was basically the ideal baseball game. Honestly kind of similar to how the football World Cup ended between Messi and Mbappe! I know there are videos on youtube that talk about the game and give plenty of added context too
It's good you're paying attention to the Catcher (what the "Wicket Keeper" is called"). He is on the pitcher's team and generally calls the pitches that are to be thrown! The pitcher and catcher have to have a good working relationship because they work together. Probably the second most important player on the team (pitchers can keep their big heads). It's also the most physically punishing position on the field
Chatwin, the guy in all the body armor behind home plate is called the catcher, and he's on the defensive team, along with the pitcher and the other seven players in the field. The guy swinging the bat is on offense, and he's called the batter, or hitter. "Batsman," a cricket term, is also sometimes used to describe batters, but it's a bit archaic. Beginning this season, there is a 30-second time clock on pitchers. That is, the pitcher has to throw his pitch within 30 seconds of stepping on the rubber -- that big rectangular slab of rubber at the top of the pitcher's mound. This is a recent change designed to speed the pace of play. The seams referred to in regard to types of fastball are the literal seams on the baseball. A four-seam fastball is gripped across all four seams on the ball, with the index and middle fingers slightly apart. A two-seamer is gripped in between the two seams.
Hey man, just subbed. Love to see people learning baseball. I'm not a huge statistics guy either but it's still interesting. There'll be some more MLB games in London next year and Great Britian was even in the World Baseball Classic this year. Great to see the game growing
Mine is the Cardinals. You’ll get a chance to see them in June. Yes they’re struggling this year but at least where the cards gear for the day when you go to the game.
UNLESS the umpire feels that the batter has made no attempt to get out of the way of the pitch or has deliberately tried to get hit by the pitch ("leaning into one," "taking one for the team"). Although this rarely gets called.
There is a newly instituted time limit on pitches now. However even before this time limit a pitcher had to “come set” before throwing a pitch. Coming set is the pause a pitcher makes when the glove hand and arm side hand come together in the glove.
The catcher usually calls the pitch so he tells the pitcher "fastball down and in on the batter" or something like that and you call it based on what the analytics say the batters weeknesses are often.
9: 45- you are talking about the "quick pitch," a very uncommon but not unknown stunt to catch a batter before he's ready. Doesn't work very often, partly because a pitcher's windup gives ample warning (although a QP is usually thrown off a slide step), and because an unprepared pitch like that is not especially accurate and unlikely to be a strike. Also, the addition of the pitch clock this year has probably ended the practice for good, because it requires the batter to be in place and ready by the 8 second mark
I would highly recommend listening to Vin Scully’s broadcast of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game (just listen to the 9th inning). A perfect game is an extremely rare feat for a pitcher, pitching a complete game without allowing a single runner on base, and has only happened 23 times. Vin Scully was one of the best to ever do it, and I think that broadcast really showcases the beautiful side of baseball
There is a mini movie about the called "The Team of Destiny" about the Washington Nationals first ever World Series championship that I think will give you an good idea about the way a game is played and the absolute magic of a come from behind win. Even if you aren't able to post a reaction, it's an amazing thing to watch on your own. Good luck and I'm looking forward to your next reaction
The player crouched behind the plate is the catcher. He plays defense and on the same team as the pitcher. Arguably the hardest positions on the field to play, probably second hardest next to the pitcher.
With the comment about the pitch clock, there hasn't always been one, but now there is. Also, it would be illegal at any point in the sport's history for a pitcher to just stand around and then blow one by the batter because they are not allowed to pitch when the batter isn't ready, as well with the fact that they are not allowed to make it seem like they're going to pitch and then not, that is called a baulk, which leads to the batter going to first base. Also, I don't think the pitcher would be able to throw a pitch that wasn't noticed by the batter, especially if they took a long time to pitch. The reasons for this are that the batters are trained to always be ready and to keep their eye on the ball, and that the ball is white, making it be in massive contrast to the grass and the "batter's eye" (an area in the outfield of the park with either no seating or covered up seating for day games so the batter can see the pitcher and the ball better).
9:15 A good pro batter is going to be ready for your fastball, especially if he's seen it a couple of times. You may want to look up Nestor Cortes Jr or Johnny Cueto's wind-up / delivery for pitchers throwing off the batter's timing!
5:00. The greatest "Closer" (a pitcher that comes in to end the game against the opposition) is named Mariano Rivera. He threw "the cutter fastball." He played for the new York Yankees. EVERYONE knew what he was going to throw, but nearly no one could hit his cutter. It's a bonkers pitch because it moves like a curve ball, but it also going 100 MPH/160 KMPH. Mariano Rivera is the ONLY player in Major League Baseball history to receive 100% of the vote to be inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
Catcher here that made it to the professional circuit. I made it but never went lol. Health issues. Anyways, you get used to seeing pitches. For me, it was always in slow motion. One thing that you don’t get used to however, is the pain when you accidentally palm it lmao. Which happens when a pitcher has pitches that break super late. Palming a ball is exactly what it sounds like. Catch it in the palm. You always want to catch it in the pocket.
I love the amount of interest I've seen on youtube recently from blokes "across the pond". Baseball is an incredible sport and I hope it grows over there. The sport has very much spread to Latin America and Asia and if it moves into Europe it'll only make it better.
The thing to remember, the batter is 60'6" away from the pitcher's mound. Most MLB pitchers can throw the ball 90 miles per hour. Heck, most throw faster than 95 MPH. Think about that. Pitcher throwing a 95 MPH ball from 60 feet away, you have milliseconds to decide if the pitch will be a ball or strike, decide if the ball will rise, drop, move inside or outside, and adjust your swing accordingly. The hand-to-eye coordination involved in hitting a baseball is off the charts compared to any other sport.
They implemented the pitch clock this year, but even without it, a batter will always know a pitch is coming. You can throw 90+ with just your arm alone, catchers do it all the time from their knees throwing runners out at second base, but it's not sustainable and hard to be accurate. In order to last entire 100 pitch games and have better control, pitchers do a full wind up before throwing. It combines the movement of their entire body mechanics and their arm into the ball. Pitchers use a lot of leg strength believe it or not when pitching because of wind ups.
Basically it's how your fingers are aligned to the seams on the ball, but hand size, player size, arm length, arm angle, pronation and supination of your palm at release, individual finger pressure to achieve ball spin in a particular axis, etc all contribute to the track of the pitch. The guy behind the plate is the Catcher and it is THE hardest position to play. I have a grandson who is very good at his level but in a six game tournament weekend, he is good for a maximum two games. The fact that he's also a very good pitcher and his team's best third baseman makes scheduling difficult because without a solid catcher, your team will likely lose. It requires a heavy amount of mental engagement plus superior arm strength and stamina.
I'd suggest checking out videos from pitchers or coaches that explain "how to" throw various pitches. Some do well at showing you how they grip the ball, how they release it, etc to get the ball to have the movement it does.
so a baseball is seamed together in sort of a double horseshoe pattern, and the 4 or 2 seam pitches are held with either 4 or 2 points of contact from your fingers to the ball. the 4 seam is gripped with your index and middle finger laying across the horseshoe and the 2 seam is gripped with the same to fingers just running directly on top of the seam path
"if you're a pitcher, do you have a time limit?" What a time to ask that question. Up until this year, no, they did not, and they could take a virtual eternity to make each pitch. One guy who pitched for the Dodgers (Pedro Baez) was so slow that he was nicknamed "The Human Rain Delay". They instituted a pitch clock this year - 15 seconds to make each pitch with bases empty, 20 seconds with someone on the bases - and it's been met with, I think, a mostly positive response. Since the late 90s early 2000s, games started becoming longer and longer as teams' strategies shifted towards getting deeper into the count and forcing starting pitchers to throw more pitches, so games were dragging on well past the 3 hour mark. If you're a family with kids, that's just not tenable. Now we are seeing games somewhere between 2 and 2.5 hrs, which is more standard for professional sports games.
So if you watch baseball at lower levels, middle school or low level high school, you can really see the difference between how the breaking ball can be the deadliest pitch in a pitcher’s arsenal or utterly useless. The reason I mention lower levels is because pros have to be ready to hit a fastball no matter what because they come in so fast. If they don’t prepare then they have no shot. At lower levels, there’s much more time to react and see how batters can possibly react to those different pitches
The most fun players are the youngest players, generally. Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Javier Baez, Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr, Manny Machado, Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna Jr, Jazz Chisholm, Julio Rodriguez, Vlad Guerrero Jr are among the top players currently. For teams, I’d recommend trying to watch games from team dynasties - New York Yankees 2000s, San Francisco Giants 2010-14, Chicago Cubs 2016, Atlanta Braves 1996ish & 2020+. Most postseason games since 2015 or so are fully available on RUclips. Also recommend watching Jomboy Media videos of plays. Highlights the human aspect of the game
The "knuckleball" you're familiar with in soccer actually gets its name from the baseball pitch. The ball is thrown with no spin, so it moves in unpredictable ways as the air pressure interacts with the front of the ball. A true forkball by its original meaning was also thrown without spin. But in reality, most "forkballs" today are actually just splitters thrown with a deeper grip. Screwballs haven't been thrown in a long time because they commonly caused pitchers to injure their arms due to the difficulty to throw it with proper technique. It wasn't a bad pitch, but it wasn't anything particularly great either, so it wasn't worth the risk. It's largely been replaced by sinkers which move in a similar direction but less extreme.
you should react to a copilation of knuckle ball pitcing...its insane and only a handful of guys can do it.. and usually its all they do, they might have a curve ball or fast ball but they are weak and they throw mostly knucle balls. its that specific a skill.
Up until this year, there were no time clocks in baseball. But starting this year there is a time clock. If no one is on base, any base, the time clock is set for 15 seconds. If there is someone on base, the time clock is set for 20 seconds. The clock starts counting down once the pitcher receives the ball between pitches and batters. At 9 seconds the catcher must be in his box, at 8 seconds the batter must be in his box and ready to receive a pitch, and the pitcher must begin his throw before 0 seconds on the clock. The new pitch clock has shorten 9 inning baseball games around 30 minutes. Basemen are reserved for first, second, and third base defensive positions, fielders for outfielder in left, center, and right field. Shortstops is another infield defensive position on the left side of the diamond, but originally was an outfield defensive position. The battery consists of the catcher and pitcher. The offensive team player in a batter’s box next to home plate is the batter, never called a batsman. The umpires call the ball and strikes and safe and out calls,and occasionally eject players and managers from the park.
I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that a 4 seam fastball shows 4 seams through one rotation and a two seamer only shows the seam twice through a rotation.
Fernando Valenzuela mastered the screw ball in the 1980s and was very successful but the arm motion is very hard on the joints. As you throw a screw ball you twist the arm inward from the shoulder so the follow through ends up with the throwing hand upside down and palm up. It’s a sort of unnatural movement that can lead to arm problems.
If you look at a baseball it is sewn together with two pc`s of leather.Depending on how the pitcher holds it will determine if 2 seams or four seams leave the pitcher`s hand. 4 seam fastballs don`t break/curve and are pretty much straight and fast. 2 seams fastballs will be the same velocity but will move down.
For a game to watch, you could hardly do better than Game 1 of this year's World Series. A knuckle-biter that showcased almost every aspect of the game at a championship level.
Shohei Ohtani, called "Showtime", or the "Unicorn" is worth a look. Also Mike Trout - both play for the Angels. There are, though, several players in many teams, current or past, worth a look.
It's more or less that literal. Every pitcher's grip on a pitch is a little different so they're comfortable with it, but generally speaking with a two-seamer you grip it with your index and middle fingers along or between two of the seams while with a four-seamer you do that across the horseshoe of the seams
The difference between a 4seam and 2seam grip wise has to do with the seams of the baseball itself and how many times a seam appears in the rotation of the ball. A 4 seam will have 4 seams in 1 rotation, and a 2 seam will have 2.
Sorry for the info dump but I really hope I can help you understand baseball better! In baseball, they're called batters, not batsmen, and the position behind the hitter is the catcher, not the wicketman. It's usually his job to tell the pitcher what pitch to throw (formerly via hand signs, but now through an electronic device). It's then his job to catch whatever ball is thrown and not hit, and in some cases will try to trick the umpire to thinking pitches out of the strike zone were in it via clever trickery. After a ball is hit, its also his job to guard home plate and keep runs from scoring, so you can see how important defensively the role is, and its why most team's catchers are pretty bad at hitting - they accept the trade-off. Outside of the pitcher/catcher duo, there are 7 other fielders per half-inning - 4 in the infield (where the dirt and bases are) and 3 in the outfield. The outfield spots are pretty easy to remember (left field, center field and right field are pretty self explanatory) and the infield spots are mostly defined by which base they cover (first baseman, second baseman, third baseman), the only exception being the shortstop who plays in-between the second and third basemen, as there are usually more righties than lefties, who naturally want to hit the ball that way, hence the positioning. Every fielder ends up batting in the other half of the inning outside of the pitcher (who has a designated hitter hit for him, whose only job is to hit rather than field), mostly due to how dogshit pitchers are at hitting. As far as pitching itself, as of this year there is now a pitch clock of 15 seconds (bases empty) or 20 seconds (runners on). If the batter isn't ready in time, it's an automatic strike, and if the pitcher isn't ready, it's an automatic ball. This is to solve an issue that used to exist where guys would wait a lot of time between pitches to mess with a guys focus and rhythm. That said, most pitchers aren't going to be raring back to throw their max speed at all times, as they have to throw 80-100 pitches on average every 5 days, which is incredibly taxing. Some relievers can throw faster, due to the fact they throw more often but less pitches per outing (say, 20-40). The fastest pitch in MLB history is 105.9 MPH, as thrown by Aroldis Chapman, but anyone who can throw near or over 100 mph is in rarified air.
In terms of picking a team, my best suggestion is to just watch baseball. My team is the New York Mets - but that's the team I grew up with. For soccer, I've watched the Premier League for several years, watching as many games as possible. Brighton just grew on me. Like their style of play (and the fact that they are the underdogs). As an outsider, that's probably the best - let it happen organically rather that stating I will be a fan of XYZ. At least with soccer, most teams have an identity, a certain style of play. Heck, you can give every soccer player a generic uniform, not mention the teams, have teams play, and any soccer fan will be able to immediately identify the team just by the style of play. So as someone who did not grow up with a Premier League team, just watching games, found a team (Brighton) that played a style I liked Baseball teams used to have greater variety in style of play. Now every team plays Earl Weaver baseball - get two walks and hit a 3-run HR.
I believe a 96 mph fastball reaches home plate in .4 seconds. Average fastball today is 94. Crazy part is, it actually looks much faster in person than it does on TV.
Los Angeles Dodgers!!! watch an inning of the game, it will help. baseball has a ton of rules and is complicated at first, but the intricacies and strategy involved is from pitch to pitch is incredible. Not to mention that hitting a baseball in the mlb is the hardest thing to do in all of sports! The best players in the history of the sport only succeeded in getting a hit safely on an average of 3 times in every 10 at bats throughout their career.
To help with understanding the player position names that you just saw: Pitcher - guy throwing the ball Batter - guy trying to hit the ball (opposition team) Catcher - guy behind the batter (on pitcher's team since you were wondering) Other positions for future videos 1st Baseman, 2nd Baseman, 3rd Baseman, Shortstop, Left Fielder, Center Fielder, Right Fielder
You can enjoy baseball without being an expert on pitching. However understanding the 'chess match' between the pitcher and the hitter will bring more enjoyment. The gist of it is to be successful the batter usually has to guess what the pitcher is going to throw in order to have a prayer of hitting it. Guess wrong and you'll swing and miss. Guess right have you have a great chance of hitting it. The catcher, the guy behind home plate catching the pitcher's throws usually calls the pitches to be thrown. He is the on field general for the defense. He tells the pitcher what to throw and the defense where to stand if need be.
Pitching Ninja has great overlays that shows just how different these pitches are. As far as rules of batting. A lot to it but not complicated. 3 strikes you're out. Strike is a pitch in the fake box thing, missed swing or foul ball.(ball hit outside off marked lines on the field) a ball is a pitch outside the box (strike zone) and if you pitch 4 balls the batter/hitter gets on "base." it's why the Americanism 3 strikes and you're out exists
At 10:20, you made a comment about the catcher having his glove on the ground to signal for a low pitch. This is not the case. You'll see a ton of catchers do something like this before the pitch, the reason: I have no idea. it's not necessary for them to do this, but they will nonetheless. you see tons of players do unnecessary things out on the field like this. For example: Kenley Jansen, a pitcher, used to have a massive wind up before pitching, Rickey Henderson, a left fielder, used to slap his thigh with his glove after catching a ball, and a good amount of batters will tap the plate with their bat and do some extravagant warm up before the pitcher pitches. Baseball is an incredibly superstitious sport, and that leads to some confusing things happening. Most of the communication on pitches and where they should be is done with fingers shown by the catcher's crotch, and the catcher putting his glove in a certain part of the zone.
Fun fact, the knuckleball in baseball and the knuckleball in soccer use the same physics! Also, the screwball isnt necessarily easy to hit, there has just been a stigma that it's not good on your arm to throw it, but that's been proven false in recent years.
Curveballs are in theory easier to hit but when you have a pitcher that just threw a 155 KPH fastball then breaks off 131 KPH curve its almost impossible to get a bat on
I always found it odd and interesting that somebody outside of America who doesn't really know baseball doesn't know the game, which is fine. interested in learning what the game is about.... in America the NFL rules so when people like me come across another baseball fan it's always impactful..... that being said baseball is by far the greatest game on earth!!!.... to the untrained eye there is always so much going on even in times of Silence..... baseball is a unique team sport it is played on a diamond.. it is the only game where the defense has control of the ball ..it is the only team sport not governed by a clock .... the game itself mirrors life in so many ways it's too much to mention.... basically what I am trying to say is.... baseball is a beautiful game..... I am 60 years old and I have been going to baseball game since I was five .. I am an avid New York Yankee fan and each year I look forward to the six months of baseball in spring ..all summer into the early fall.... we're all culminates with a World Series...... good luck with your Channel
The pitcher can not Fast Pich a hitter because the batter has to be in the "Batter's Box" and basically ready. A lot of batters used to step out, to look for signs from the 3rd base coach, fool with thie batting gloves ( I did all the time when I was playing) before stepping back in. Also, pitchers stepped of the mound, rubbed the baseball.... because of this major league baseball put in a pitch clock this year. 15 second to pitch if no runners on base and 20 seconds if there are. This has speeded up games but at least 20 minutes....
The screwball, if thrown properly, is extremely difficult to hit; the screwball, if thrown properly, is the pitch most likely to end a pitcher's career. The unnatural torque and twist on the elbow and shoulder have a screwball pitcher looking at the possibility of lengthy times on the I L (Injured List) or season-ending surgery.
Baseball is a very complex game. Lots of strategy, cat & mouse maneuvers, a chess match if you will. Many people think it is a boring game because of that complexity. Not me....
Don't pick the Pirates if you want to enjoy baseball. They aren't a very good team and watching them lose consistently will probably get boring. The Los Angeles Dodgers is my favorite team so I recommend them. They have some of the best players in the league and are always contenders to win the championship.
You can still enjoy the game without knowing how to identify a pitch. It's a bonusl but a lot of people can't pick them all out. I think it' s better to really pay attention to the pitches location. Ball or strike. That' s my opinion any way.
Even the most knowledgeable baseball fans are rarely good at identifying pitches. When you watch a baseball game, the commentators that know the pitches usually are former players. I can reliably identify a 4 seam fastball and a curveball and that's about it.
Nolan Ryan is historically my favourite Pitcher, but to be fair thats just because that man could fight. lol he hit you with the ball and youd charge his mound only to be met half way there and get your ass whooped till your team could break it up. 😂 Like when old man Ryan kicked the ass of someone 20 years younger then him
What specific players/Teams should I check out?
Currently, the most interesting player might be Shohei Ohtani. He is both an excellent pitcher and an excellent power hitter. This is a VERY rare combination. Like once a generation sort of thing. He's always in the MVP conversation. Could be a good starting point for players.
@@briankelley7890 more like once in a hundred years
Shohei ohtani is a great choice because he's one of the best pithcers and hitters in the game today which hasn't happened since the early 1900s
javy baez when he played for the cubs, he was magic.
Philadelphia Phillies!
Doc Halladay, Cliff Lee, Bryce Harper, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley…
9:30 it’s funny that you mentioned that. There’s actually a pitch clock that they just implemented this year. A pitcher has 15 seconds to throw the ball when the bases are empty, and 20 seconds to throw the ball when they are men on base. It’s hard to surprise a batter with an oncoming pitch though, every pitcher has a wind up motion that they do before they send it.
Pitching is the disruption of timing. Hitting is almost entirely timing. That's the catcher behind the plate.
For context of the seams; it's the literal seams of the ball (the red stitching) and modifying the grip/adjusting how it snaps off the fingers is how you can throw a sinker, cutter, two seam etc.
Just found your channel but personally I like the pauses and hearing your thoughts on it. I've loved baseball my entire life so its interesting and fun to hear what new people think about it.
The guy catching the pitch is called the catcher. He’s doing more than catching. He’s giving the pitcher signs with his hand telling the pitcher what pitch to throw, and he’s scanning the field for runners trying to steal bases. He’s got his eye on everything going on.
Pause that video man! We're here to share you absorbing these games we love. Take your time. It certainly took all of us quite a while to figure these things out as kids.
Baseball is a sport that you watch for decades and still learn something new.
The 2/4 seam is in reference to how many points of contact your finger have with the seams of the ball. The index and middle fingers are what gives the ball its spin and how they are touching the seams determines if it moves or not.
If you’re holding the ball where both fingers are completely and covering one individual seam you’ve got a 2 seamer. If you’re holding it where the seams are perpendicular with your fingers then both fingers are touching both seams so now it’s a 4 seamer.
12:20 on the screwball, the reason that it isn't thrown anymore isn't because it gets hit, but rather the way you release a screwball feels awkward. Since it moves opposite of the natural movement of a curveball you put torque on the elbow going in a way that feels unnatural.This led to belief that it will kill you elbow quicker and get injured more often. in reality it does feel awkward, but it is just as bad for your arm as throwing any other pitch. Pitching in general is bad for arm and elbow, injury isn't uncommon.
It’s the same arm action as a sinker
If you want to see video of the screwball, check out the master, Fernando Valenzuela.
I threw a screwball since I was a kid for over 20 years and if you throw it the right way it puts very little strain on your elbow or ucl compared to other pitches. A hard slider sits on the opposite end of the damage spectrum for the elbow. It can be vulnerable for your shoulder though. The real issue with the screwball is that it is simply not a highly effective pitch compared to a circle change or palmball. You can get similar action on it but it is less deceptive, and I will grant that it is ultimately harder on your arm than a circle change is.
9:10 Now they have a time limit. This season was the rule change. It's estimated to have knocked off 26-30 off of the length of the game.
You watched the amazing homeruns and sick strikes, time to watch some great defensive plays. That's where the real athleticism is showcased.
The player catching the pitch is called the catcher, I would recommend looking up "best catchers throws" ond youtube because it is really quite impressive.
Also (you know this but adding for OP) the catcher calls the pitches with the signals. He’s the real reason behind a successful pitcher. Knowing what to throw based on batter. Also the manager sometimes signals to the catcher what to pitch.
And that’s where you get the term knuckleball for football
A white sox pitcher invented it over 100 years ago.
3:05 The Catcher and the Pitcher communicate with each other, via hand signals, as to where the pitch is going to be and what pitch he'll be throwing.
@@marengtech313 Oh, yeah. That's right. Follow my baseball team but don't watch it much.
I love watching some cricket sometimes, i got into it several years ago. I think baseball is much more exciting than cricket though, way more going on and just more to the game. I think you will enjoy baseball once you understand it more. Once you know the extreme basics, you can watch and follow a game, the rest will come just from watching games. There use to be no timer in baseball for a pitcher to make his pitch, however, this year is the 1st year they have a timer for the pitcher to make a pitch, but the rule is in place to pick up the pace of the game. The batter knows when the pitch is coming, when the pitcher's foot is on the rubber (pitcher's foot has to be on it), and he starts his wind up to throw the pitch, this is when the batter knows when to be ready for the ball.
I love cricket it's what gets me by in the winter
A ball that moves around or breaks isn't just harder to hit . It also fools the batter into thinking it's NOT a STRIKE.
Batters will let it go by them if they think it's not in the strike zone . 4 balls = an automatic walk to 1st base .
Plus who ever is a head in the "count" between the pitcher/hitter has the advantage.
1 ball & 2 strikes pitchers advantage . He can afford to throw trick pitches that are less accurate.
3 balls & 1 strike batters advantage. Batter knows pitcher must throw a more accurate fast ball in the strike zone ..
It's a mental game at the plate.
You should react to MLB fights (batters charging the mound to attack pitchers)
1st watched your reaction to the big Home Runs now this, love how much you want to absorb the info. Planned on subscribing after the 1st video then this video started and the 1st thing I see is that sweet Mighty Hammers shirt! Definitely subscribing now!
Haha I've been watching S3 of Ted Lasso and recognized your kit as the "evil" West Ham! These are fun vids!
If you're looking to get into baseball check out the highlights from the final of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. It was basically the ideal baseball game. Honestly kind of similar to how the football World Cup ended between Messi and Mbappe! I know there are videos on youtube that talk about the game and give plenty of added context too
I’ll be honest, it’s really not as exciting for a first time baseball watcher.
Absolutely agree with this!
Yes!
Fun watching ya learn about the sport I love. God bless ya sir
It's good you're paying attention to the Catcher (what the "Wicket Keeper" is called"). He is on the pitcher's team and generally calls the pitches that are to be thrown! The pitcher and catcher have to have a good working relationship because they work together. Probably the second most important player on the team (pitchers can keep their big heads). It's also the most physically punishing position on the field
Chatwin, the guy in all the body armor behind home plate is called the catcher, and he's on the defensive team, along with the pitcher and the other seven players in the field. The guy swinging the bat is on offense, and he's called the batter, or hitter. "Batsman," a cricket term, is also sometimes used to describe batters, but it's a bit archaic. Beginning this season, there is a 30-second time clock on pitchers. That is, the pitcher has to throw his pitch within 30 seconds of stepping on the rubber -- that big rectangular slab of rubber at the top of the pitcher's mound. This is a recent change designed to speed the pace of play. The seams referred to in regard to types of fastball are the literal seams on the baseball. A four-seam fastball is gripped across all four seams on the ball, with the index and middle fingers slightly apart. A two-seamer is gripped in between the two seams.
Hey man, just subbed. Love to see people learning baseball. I'm not a huge statistics guy either but it's still interesting. There'll be some more MLB games in London next year and Great Britian was even in the World Baseball Classic this year. Great to see the game growing
Mine is the Cardinals. You’ll get a chance to see them in June. Yes they’re struggling this year but at least where the cards gear for the day when you go to the game.
It is great watching someone learning the sport. If this were a livestream it would be much better to get instant feedback to your questions
For context on the part when the batter gets hit by the pitch, if a pitch hits the batter they automatically get sent to first base
UNLESS the umpire feels that the batter has made no attempt to get out of the way of the pitch or has deliberately tried to get hit by the pitch ("leaning into one," "taking one for the team"). Although this rarely gets called.
There is a newly instituted time limit on pitches now.
However even before this time limit a pitcher had to “come set” before throwing a pitch.
Coming set is the pause a pitcher makes when the glove hand and arm side hand come together in the glove.
The catcher usually calls the pitch so he tells the pitcher "fastball down and in on the batter" or something like that and you call it based on what the analytics say the batters weeknesses are often.
9: 45- you are talking about the "quick pitch," a very uncommon but not unknown stunt to catch a batter before he's ready. Doesn't work very often, partly because a pitcher's windup gives ample warning (although a QP is usually thrown off a slide step), and because an unprepared pitch like that is not especially accurate and unlikely to be a strike.
Also, the addition of the pitch clock this year has probably ended the practice for good, because it requires the batter to be in place and ready by the 8 second mark
I would highly recommend listening to Vin Scully’s broadcast of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game (just listen to the 9th inning). A perfect game is an extremely rare feat for a pitcher, pitching a complete game without allowing a single runner on base, and has only happened 23 times. Vin Scully was one of the best to ever do it, and I think that broadcast really showcases the beautiful side of baseball
There is a mini movie about the called "The Team of Destiny" about the Washington Nationals first ever World Series championship that I think will give you an good idea about the way a game is played and the absolute magic of a come from behind win. Even if you aren't able to post a reaction, it's an amazing thing to watch on your own. Good luck and I'm looking forward to your next reaction
the MLB youtube channel has some full games if youre interested in learning more! you are correct. the best way to learn is to watch!
The player crouched behind the plate is the catcher. He plays defense and on the same team as the pitcher. Arguably the hardest positions on the field to play, probably second hardest next to the pitcher.
Saw a terrifying video of catchers getting beaned in the head by tipped pitches, and even with the mask most of them looked concussed afterwards.
With the comment about the pitch clock, there hasn't always been one, but now there is. Also, it would be illegal at any point in the sport's history for a pitcher to just stand around and then blow one by the batter because they are not allowed to pitch when the batter isn't ready, as well with the fact that they are not allowed to make it seem like they're going to pitch and then not, that is called a baulk, which leads to the batter going to first base. Also, I don't think the pitcher would be able to throw a pitch that wasn't noticed by the batter, especially if they took a long time to pitch. The reasons for this are that the batters are trained to always be ready and to keep their eye on the ball, and that the ball is white, making it be in massive contrast to the grass and the "batter's eye" (an area in the outfield of the park with either no seating or covered up seating for day games so the batter can see the pitcher and the ball better).
9:15 A good pro batter is going to be ready for your fastball, especially if he's seen it a couple of times. You may want to look up Nestor Cortes Jr or Johnny Cueto's wind-up / delivery for pitchers throwing off the batter's timing!
5:00. The greatest "Closer" (a pitcher that comes in to end the game against the opposition) is named Mariano Rivera. He threw "the cutter fastball." He played for the new York Yankees. EVERYONE knew what he was going to throw, but nearly no one could hit his cutter. It's a bonkers pitch because it moves like a curve ball, but it also going 100 MPH/160 KMPH. Mariano Rivera is the ONLY player in Major League Baseball history to receive 100% of the vote to be inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
Catcher here that made it to the professional circuit. I made it but never went lol. Health issues. Anyways, you get used to seeing pitches. For me, it was always in slow motion. One thing that you don’t get used to however, is the pain when you accidentally palm it lmao. Which happens when a pitcher has pitches that break super late. Palming a ball is exactly what it sounds like. Catch it in the palm. You always want to catch it in the pocket.
I love the amount of interest I've seen on youtube recently from blokes "across the pond". Baseball is an incredible sport and I hope it grows over there. The sport has very much spread to Latin America and Asia and if it moves into Europe it'll only make it better.
The thing to remember, the batter is 60'6" away from the pitcher's mound. Most MLB pitchers can throw the ball 90 miles per hour. Heck, most throw faster than 95 MPH.
Think about that. Pitcher throwing a 95 MPH ball from 60 feet away, you have milliseconds to decide if the pitch will be a ball or strike, decide if the ball will rise, drop, move inside or outside, and adjust your swing accordingly.
The hand-to-eye coordination involved in hitting a baseball is off the charts compared to any other sport.
They implemented the pitch clock this year, but even without it, a batter will always know a pitch is coming. You can throw 90+ with just your arm alone, catchers do it all the time from their knees throwing runners out at second base, but it's not sustainable and hard to be accurate. In order to last entire 100 pitch games and have better control, pitchers do a full wind up before throwing. It combines the movement of their entire body mechanics and their arm into the ball. Pitchers use a lot of leg strength believe it or not when pitching because of wind ups.
Just subbed, glad you're checking out baseball. I've always loved the West Ham colors, great kit.
Basically it's how your fingers are aligned to the seams on the ball, but hand size, player size, arm length, arm angle, pronation and supination of your palm at release, individual finger pressure to achieve ball spin in a particular axis, etc all contribute to the track of the pitch. The guy behind the plate is the Catcher and it is THE hardest position to play. I have a grandson who is very good at his level but in a six game tournament weekend, he is good for a maximum two games. The fact that he's also a very good pitcher and his team's best third baseman makes scheduling difficult because without a solid catcher, your team will likely lose. It requires a heavy amount of mental engagement plus superior arm strength and stamina.
they should have shown the "grip" for every pitch. It makes it even more impressive.
Love that you’re checking out baseball! You should definitely also watch some defensive highlights! Like best catches
I'd suggest checking out videos from pitchers or coaches that explain "how to" throw various pitches. Some do well at showing you how they grip the ball, how they release it, etc to get the ball to have the movement it does.
A video on all the MLB stadiums is a good one or the biggest sports curses.
so a baseball is seamed together in sort of a double horseshoe pattern, and the 4 or 2 seam pitches are held with either 4 or 2 points of contact from your fingers to the ball. the 4 seam is gripped with your index and middle finger laying across the horseshoe and the 2 seam is gripped with the same to fingers just running directly on top of the seam path
"if you're a pitcher, do you have a time limit?"
What a time to ask that question. Up until this year, no, they did not, and they could take a virtual eternity to make each pitch. One guy who pitched for the Dodgers (Pedro Baez) was so slow that he was nicknamed "The Human Rain Delay". They instituted a pitch clock this year - 15 seconds to make each pitch with bases empty, 20 seconds with someone on the bases - and it's been met with, I think, a mostly positive response. Since the late 90s early 2000s, games started becoming longer and longer as teams' strategies shifted towards getting deeper into the count and forcing starting pitchers to throw more pitches, so games were dragging on well past the 3 hour mark. If you're a family with kids, that's just not tenable. Now we are seeing games somewhere between 2 and 2.5 hrs, which is more standard for professional sports games.
So if you watch baseball at lower levels, middle school or low level high school, you can really see the difference between how the breaking ball can be the deadliest pitch in a pitcher’s arsenal or utterly useless. The reason I mention lower levels is because pros have to be ready to hit a fastball no matter what because they come in so fast. If they don’t prepare then they have no shot. At lower levels, there’s much more time to react and see how batters can possibly react to those different pitches
You should watch “Examining the worst trade in modern baseball history” by Made the cut.
And MLB Headshots by WesleyAPEX!!
@@madeintheusa2687 Dude, no one wants it see headshots.
COYI! I didn't realize you were a hammers fan. Now I definitely have to subscribe.
Haha yes mate ⚒️
The most fun players are the youngest players, generally. Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Javier Baez, Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr, Manny Machado, Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna Jr, Jazz Chisholm, Julio Rodriguez, Vlad Guerrero Jr are among the top players currently.
For teams, I’d recommend trying to watch games from team dynasties - New York Yankees 2000s, San Francisco Giants 2010-14, Chicago Cubs 2016, Atlanta Braves 1996ish & 2020+. Most postseason games since 2015 or so are fully available on RUclips.
Also recommend watching Jomboy Media videos of plays. Highlights the human aspect of the game
The "knuckleball" you're familiar with in soccer actually gets its name from the baseball pitch. The ball is thrown with no spin, so it moves in unpredictable ways as the air pressure interacts with the front of the ball.
A true forkball by its original meaning was also thrown without spin. But in reality, most "forkballs" today are actually just splitters thrown with a deeper grip.
Screwballs haven't been thrown in a long time because they commonly caused pitchers to injure their arms due to the difficulty to throw it with proper technique. It wasn't a bad pitch, but it wasn't anything particularly great either, so it wasn't worth the risk. It's largely been replaced by sinkers which move in a similar direction but less extreme.
you should react to a copilation of knuckle ball pitcing...its insane and only a handful of guys can do it.. and usually its all they do, they might have a curve ball or fast ball but they are weak and they throw mostly knucle balls. its that specific a skill.
Up until this year, there were no time clocks in baseball. But starting this year there is a time clock. If no one is on base, any base, the time clock is set for 15 seconds. If there is someone on base, the time clock is set for 20 seconds. The clock starts counting down once the pitcher receives the ball between pitches and batters. At 9 seconds the catcher must be in his box, at 8 seconds the batter must be in his box and ready to receive a pitch, and the pitcher must begin his throw before 0 seconds on the clock.
The new pitch clock has shorten 9 inning baseball games around 30 minutes.
Basemen are reserved for first, second, and third base defensive positions, fielders for outfielder in left, center, and right field. Shortstops is another infield defensive position on the left side of the diamond, but originally was an outfield defensive position. The battery consists of the catcher and pitcher. The offensive team player in a batter’s box next to home plate is the batter, never called a batsman. The umpires call the ball and strikes and safe and out calls,and occasionally eject players and managers from the park.
I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that a 4 seam fastball shows 4 seams through one rotation and a two seamer only shows the seam twice through a rotation.
Fernando Valenzuela mastered the screw ball in the 1980s and was very successful but the arm motion is very hard on the joints. As you throw a screw ball you twist the arm inward from the shoulder so the follow through ends up with the throwing hand upside down and palm up. It’s a sort of unnatural movement that can lead to arm problems.
If you look at a baseball it is sewn together with two pc`s of leather.Depending on how the pitcher holds it will determine if 2 seams or four seams leave the pitcher`s hand. 4 seam fastballs don`t break/curve and are pretty much straight and fast. 2 seams fastballs will be the same velocity but will move down.
Awesome on describing the seams….
For a game to watch, you could hardly do better than Game 1 of this year's World Series. A knuckle-biter that showcased almost every aspect of the game at a championship level.
Shohei Ohtani, called "Showtime", or the "Unicorn" is worth a look. Also Mike Trout - both play for the Angels. There are, though, several players in many teams, current or past, worth a look.
Recommend "Can an Average Guy Hit a 95 MPH Fastball" . By GQ sports.
It will teach/ show what's all involved in hitting..
It's more or less that literal. Every pitcher's grip on a pitch is a little different so they're comfortable with it, but generally speaking with a two-seamer you grip it with your index and middle fingers along or between two of the seams while with a four-seamer you do that across the horseshoe of the seams
The difference between a 4seam and 2seam grip wise has to do with the seams of the baseball itself and how many times a seam appears in the rotation of the ball. A 4 seam will have 4 seams in 1 rotation, and a 2 seam will have 2.
Sorry for the info dump but I really hope I can help you understand baseball better!
In baseball, they're called batters, not batsmen, and the position behind the hitter is the catcher, not the wicketman. It's usually his job to tell the pitcher what pitch to throw (formerly via hand signs, but now through an electronic device). It's then his job to catch whatever ball is thrown and not hit, and in some cases will try to trick the umpire to thinking pitches out of the strike zone were in it via clever trickery. After a ball is hit, its also his job to guard home plate and keep runs from scoring, so you can see how important defensively the role is, and its why most team's catchers are pretty bad at hitting - they accept the trade-off.
Outside of the pitcher/catcher duo, there are 7 other fielders per half-inning - 4 in the infield (where the dirt and bases are) and 3 in the outfield. The outfield spots are pretty easy to remember (left field, center field and right field are pretty self explanatory) and the infield spots are mostly defined by which base they cover (first baseman, second baseman, third baseman), the only exception being the shortstop who plays in-between the second and third basemen, as there are usually more righties than lefties, who naturally want to hit the ball that way, hence the positioning. Every fielder ends up batting in the other half of the inning outside of the pitcher (who has a designated hitter hit for him, whose only job is to hit rather than field), mostly due to how dogshit pitchers are at hitting.
As far as pitching itself, as of this year there is now a pitch clock of 15 seconds (bases empty) or 20 seconds (runners on). If the batter isn't ready in time, it's an automatic strike, and if the pitcher isn't ready, it's an automatic ball. This is to solve an issue that used to exist where guys would wait a lot of time between pitches to mess with a guys focus and rhythm. That said, most pitchers aren't going to be raring back to throw their max speed at all times, as they have to throw 80-100 pitches on average every 5 days, which is incredibly taxing. Some relievers can throw faster, due to the fact they throw more often but less pitches per outing (say, 20-40). The fastest pitch in MLB history is 105.9 MPH, as thrown by Aroldis Chapman, but anyone who can throw near or over 100 mph is in rarified air.
In terms of picking a team, my best suggestion is to just watch baseball. My team is the New York Mets - but that's the team I grew up with. For soccer, I've watched the Premier League for several years, watching as many games as possible. Brighton just grew on me. Like their style of play (and the fact that they are the underdogs). As an outsider, that's probably the best - let it happen organically rather that stating I will be a fan of XYZ.
At least with soccer, most teams have an identity, a certain style of play. Heck, you can give every soccer player a generic uniform, not mention the teams, have teams play, and any soccer fan will be able to immediately identify the team just by the style of play. So as someone who did not grow up with a Premier League team, just watching games, found a team (Brighton) that played a style I liked Baseball teams used to have greater variety in style of play. Now every team plays Earl Weaver baseball - get two walks and hit a 3-run HR.
The position behind the “batter” to whom the pitcher throws the ball is the “catcher.”
I believe a 96 mph fastball reaches home plate in .4 seconds. Average fastball today is 94.
Crazy part is, it actually looks much faster in person than it does on TV.
if you watch a rules video make sure its current because this past offseason quite a few new rules were implemented. love the baseball vids
Los Angeles Dodgers!!! watch an inning of the game, it will help. baseball has a ton of rules and is complicated at first, but the intricacies and strategy involved is from pitch to pitch is incredible. Not to mention that hitting a baseball in the mlb is the hardest thing to do in all of sports! The best players in the history of the sport only succeeded in getting a hit safely on an average of 3 times in every 10 at bats throughout their career.
To help with understanding the player position names that you just saw:
Pitcher - guy throwing the ball
Batter - guy trying to hit the ball (opposition team)
Catcher - guy behind the batter (on pitcher's team since you were wondering)
Other positions for future videos
1st Baseman, 2nd Baseman, 3rd Baseman, Shortstop, Left Fielder, Center Fielder, Right Fielder
You can enjoy baseball without being an expert on pitching. However understanding the 'chess match' between the pitcher and the hitter will bring more enjoyment. The gist of it is to be successful the batter usually has to guess what the pitcher is going to throw in order to have a prayer of hitting it. Guess wrong and you'll swing and miss. Guess right have you have a great chance of hitting it. The catcher, the guy behind home plate catching the pitcher's throws usually calls the pitches to be thrown. He is the on field general for the defense. He tells the pitcher what to throw and the defense where to stand if need be.
Love all the Angels hilights! Go Halos!
Pitching Ninja has great overlays that shows just how different these pitches are. As far as rules of batting. A lot to it but not complicated.
3 strikes you're out. Strike is a pitch in the fake box thing, missed swing or foul ball.(ball hit outside off marked lines on the field)
a ball is a pitch outside the box (strike zone) and if you pitch 4 balls the batter/hitter gets on "base."
it's why the Americanism 3 strikes and you're out exists
They now have a time clock on the pitcher, started this year of 15 seconds .
At 10:20, you made a comment about the catcher having his glove on the ground to signal for a low pitch. This is not the case. You'll see a ton of catchers do something like this before the pitch, the reason: I have no idea. it's not necessary for them to do this, but they will nonetheless. you see tons of players do unnecessary things out on the field like this. For example: Kenley Jansen, a pitcher, used to have a massive wind up before pitching, Rickey Henderson, a left fielder, used to slap his thigh with his glove after catching a ball, and a good amount of batters will tap the plate with their bat and do some extravagant warm up before the pitcher pitches. Baseball is an incredibly superstitious sport, and that leads to some confusing things happening. Most of the communication on pitches and where they should be is done with fingers shown by the catcher's crotch, and the catcher putting his glove in a certain part of the zone.
The catcher tapping the ground is absolutely a signal to throw the pitch down and below the zone. Catchers have been using this signal forever.
You need to see when Randy Johnson hit the bird with a pitch!
Fun fact, the knuckleball in baseball and the knuckleball in soccer use the same physics! Also, the screwball isnt necessarily easy to hit, there has just been a stigma that it's not good on your arm to throw it, but that's been proven false in recent years.
Curveballs are in theory easier to hit but when you have a pitcher that just threw a 155 KPH fastball then breaks off 131 KPH curve its almost impossible to get a bat on
I always found it odd and interesting that somebody outside of America who doesn't really know baseball doesn't know the game, which is fine. interested in learning what the game is about.... in America the NFL rules so when people like me come across another baseball fan it's always impactful..... that being said baseball is by far the greatest game on earth!!!.... to the untrained eye there is always so much going on even in times of Silence..... baseball is a unique team sport it is played on a diamond.. it is the only game where the defense has control of the ball ..it is the only team sport not governed by a clock .... the game itself mirrors life in so many ways it's too much to mention.... basically what I am trying to say is.... baseball is a beautiful game..... I am 60 years old and I have been going to baseball game since I was five .. I am an avid New York Yankee fan and each year I look forward to the six months of baseball in spring ..all summer into the early fall.... we're all culminates with a World Series...... good luck with your Channel
Close call sports is a RUclips channel that does rules explaining with examples.
In baseball, the defense has possession of the ball. If they hold the ball, they are on the pitcher's team.
Greatest game on earth!
The pitcher can not Fast Pich a hitter because the batter has to be in the "Batter's Box" and basically ready. A lot of batters used to step out, to look for signs from the 3rd base coach, fool with thie batting gloves ( I did all the time when I was playing) before stepping back in. Also, pitchers stepped of the mound, rubbed the baseball.... because of this major league baseball put in a pitch clock this year. 15 second to pitch if no runners on base and 20 seconds if there are. This has speeded up games but at least 20 minutes....
The screwball, if thrown properly, is extremely difficult to hit; the screwball, if thrown properly, is the pitch most likely to end a pitcher's career. The unnatural torque and twist on the elbow and shoulder have a screwball pitcher looking at the possibility of lengthy times on the I L (Injured List) or season-ending surgery.
Baseball is a very complex game. Lots of strategy, cat & mouse maneuvers, a chess match if you will. Many people think it is a boring game because of that complexity. Not me....
IDK if anyone has mentioned this, but the seams on a baseball are literally stitched seams & follow the same pattern as a tennis ball
Don't pick the Pirates if you want to enjoy baseball. They aren't a very good team and watching them lose consistently will probably get boring. The Los Angeles Dodgers is my favorite team so I recommend them. They have some of the best players in the league and are always contenders to win the championship.
You can still enjoy the game without knowing how to identify a pitch. It's a bonusl but a lot of people can't pick them all out. I think it' s better to really pay attention to the pitches location. Ball or strike. That' s my opinion any way.
2:34 Yes
Your dead on about how watching full highlights of a game or 2 will make things click. The game makes a lot of sense when it's just played out
Even the most knowledgeable baseball fans are rarely good at identifying pitches. When you watch a baseball game, the commentators that know the pitches usually are former players. I can reliably identify a 4 seam fastball and a curveball and that's about it.
I'm biased to my Giants. Whether they're good or not each season, those are my guys.
IIRC the reason nobody uses the screwball anymore is because it is terrible for your arm and causes a lot of injuries.
The football “knuckleball” term was actually borrowed from baseball.
12:23 It's because of how hard it is to throw.
You should watch MLB: "Loudest Crowd Reactions" by Alex Ristic. enjoyed the video!
Nolan Ryan is historically my favourite Pitcher, but to be fair thats just because that man could fight. lol he hit you with the ball and youd charge his mound only to be met half way there and get your ass whooped till your team could break it up. 😂 Like when old man Ryan kicked the ass of someone 20 years younger then him