Posted by: fred (fredaccess@hotmail.com) on Tue May 31 14:15:38 2005

The simple ratio of distances multiplied by the speed is the easiest. No need to use the feet/sec numbers.

Keep in mind that this gives a speed based on the simplistic measurement of how long it takes a ball to travel the given distance. There is much more involved in the actual human reaction time involved. For instance, the ball is still traveling slower at the closer distance. And, because of the closer distance, the triangulation of the pitcher, batter and home plate creates a larger angle at the pitching point. The batter is less "in-line" with the pitch because of the closer distance, allowing for quicker recognition of ball movement. All these contribute to an actual human reaction time being shorter at the 60.5 ft distance using your calculation (the faster pitch at a longer distance is harder to hit when the travel time is equal)



> > > > What calculations do you use to convert pitching speeds from various distances and equate them to MLB speeds.For example: 63mph from 48ft would be the equivalent to what MLB pitch speed?Jeff
> > >
> > > 63mph is to 48ft as "X" is to 60.6 Feet/inches...cross multiply and divid...about 80 mph? This is coming from a non math guy??
> > >
> > > Yes, No?
> >
> > I've done it in Excel and it's not hard to do if you have some spreadsheet software. You first have to calculate the feet per second a ball travels at each pitch speed. For example, a 90 mph fastball travels 132 feet per second. Then you can plug in different distances and calculate how long it takes for a pitch to reach the plate.
> >
> > a 60mph pitch from 48 feet takes 0.545 seconds to reach the plate.
> > a 76mph pitch from 60.5 feet takes 0.548 seconds to reach the plate.
> >
> > So a 60mph pitch from 48 feet is the same as a 76 mph pitch from 60.5 feet.
> >
> > If you want the excel file I have then email me.
> >
> > Jon
>
> so 63 Mph is about 80...yes/no?