Page 33 - Sports Illustrated Kids (April 2019)

mechanics. Now the video that

pitchers have access to is so high-
speed that they can slow the image
down and see exactly how the ball
is coming off their fingertips, which
allows them to find the motion that
gives them maximum spin. And that
leads to maximum results.
Against a fastball with a spin rate
between 2,100 and 2,200 revoltions
per minute, batters have a slugging
percentage of .472. When the spin
rate is between 2,500 and 2,600,
slugging percentage drops to .407.
Go back to that showdown
between Scherzer and Altuve.
Scherzer’s four-seam fastball has
one of the highest average spin
rates in the game, nearly 2,500
revolutions per minute. Altuve,
who is a disciplined hitter,
swung under both fastballs.
the spin creates low pressure That strikeout was one of 25
above the ball, which creates lift.

similar phenomenon is what gets

planes off the ground.)
A pitch with a lot of backspin

So it creates the illusion of rising. GETTY IMAGES (MCHUGH); MARK CUNNINGHAM/MLB PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES (COLE, VALDEZ); JORDAN NAHOLOWA’A MURPH (VERLANDER) ADAM GLANZMAN/GETTY IMAGES (BIEBER); LESLIE PLAZA JOHNSON/ICON SPORTSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES (JAMES); ROB TRINGALI/MLB PHOTOS/
For years, pitchers were taught
to keep the ball down in the
strike zone. But with a better
understanding of spin, hard
throwers are now challenging
hitters with high heat more
than ever before.
Many pitchers, Scherzer
included, pore over tape of their n

430,000mph
241.7mph 361mph 767.3mph 670,616,629 mph
NASA Parker
Peregrine falcon SCMaglev train Speed of sound Speed of light
solar probe

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