Major Question : what are the optimal biomechanics which maximize performance for a baseball pitch

An Overview of Baseball: 

Baseball has been considered America's pastime since the mid-19th century. It's a cultural legacy, a connector of generations, and a reflection of America's past, present, and future (Chen et al., 2012). Baseball is played in all the mainland states and territories of Australia. Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played on a field between two teams that take turns playing offence (batting and baserunning) and defense (pitching and fielding) (Australian Baseball Federation, 2014). The game is played on a diamond-shaped field with four bases (first base, second base, third base, and home plate). Each base is positioned at one corner of the diamond (Figure 2). The objective of the game is to score more points (runs) than the opposing team. When batters hit the ball, they run around the outline of the diamond, they must touch each base before scoring a run at the home plate. 

The Pitcher: Role and Objective in Baseball:

According to the Official Australian Baseball Rules 7th edition, the pitcher in the fielding team throws the ball towards home plate where the catcher of the fielding team waits to receive it (Figure 1). The batter stands in the batter's box, a designated area on either side of home plate, and tries to hit the pitched ball with a bat (Australian Baseball Federation, 2014). The pitcher's main role is to deliver the pitch to the catcher without giving the batter a chance to hit the ball with the bat. A great pitcher has an arsenal of pitches, each throws with a different velocity and trajectory. By confusing the batters with these variations, the defensive team can get the batter or baserunners out.

Good pitching is the cornerstone of successful baseball. The pitcher can control the game’s tempo and strategy and carry your team to victory. If the pitcher is not at their best, the opposing team will have more opportunities to hit the ball, get on base, and score. In the article “New Measures for Pitchers” in the 1979 edition of the Baseball Research Journal, John Schwartz underscores this point: “Pitching as the old cliche goes, is somewhere between 75 and 90% of baseball” (James, 1980).

                                                        Figure 1: Baseball match.

Figure 2: Baseball field.

Pitching velocity:

Pitch velocity (PV) is important for pitching success. Pitch velocity is how quickly the baseball reaches home plate after it releases from the pitcher’s hands (Semkewyc, 2022). To attain the elite level, pitchers need to consistently generate high ball velocity (Stodden et al., 2005). Due to the increased velocity of the ball, the batter has less time to process information about the ball's speed, spin, and location. Therefore, it is more difficult to make an informed decision on whether to strike the ball or not.

Additionally, high-velocity pitches can be strategically used to set up other pitches such as change-ups or curve balls to disrupt the hitter’s timing (Lehman et al., 2013). After throwing a series of fast pitches, the pitcher will release a changeup with a much slower velocity but on the same trajectory as their fastball. It can catch the hitter off guard and make it more difficult for them to anticipate the speed and movement of the pitch. This can get them to swing early.

Moreover, pitch velocity is also one of the most frequently used tools for evaluating pitchers (Lehman et al., 2013). Therefore, increasing velocity can help players get noticed by coaches and scouts for higher levels of competition.

Phases of baseball pitch:

The study of biomechanics in baseball pitching is important to improve players’ performance and prevent sport-related injuries. Baseball pitching can be separated into a series of phases to better understand the kinetic chain. The six major components of baseball pitching are (Figure 3):

1.     Windup

2.     Early cocking (Stride)

3.     Late cocking (Arm cocking)

4.     Acceleration

5.     Deceleration

6.     Follow-through.

Figure 3: Outlines the six phases of a baseball pitch.

Outline of the Biomechanical Principles used:

The velocity of pitched balls is influenced by the movement of the upper limbs as well as the coordinated action of the entire body, especially the lower limbs and the trunk (Itoh et al., 2011). Enhancing throwing mechanics (technique) through proper kinematics (such as elbow flexion, lead knee movement, trunk tilt) and kinetics (such as wrist flexion torque, shoulder adduction torque, and elbow proximal force) can optimize the athlete's ability to transfer energy from the lower body and core to the upper extremities (Fleisig & Escamilla, 1996). This could lead to higher throwing velocity. In addition, variations in the spatial and temporal parameters such as stride length, or duration of shoulder rotation can produce variations in ball velocity. Therefore, the purpose of this blog was to identify and analyze the desired biomechanical principles for maximizing performance in velocity of a baseball pitch. This analysis will outline some of the desired movement patterns that athletes can use to benefit their development.

Some of the key biomechanical principles below will be discussed throughout the blog:

Centre of gravity, Kinetic chain, Speed, Velocity, Stability Force, Stretch-shorten cycle, Rotational motion, Momentum, Potential and kinetic energy