Quote:
Originally Posted by asphaltman
Does it? Weren't they throwing batting practice pitches during the Home Run Derby the other night that were landing 460 feet away?
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There's plenty of complicated physics, basically the angle and speed matter the most, but the spin and where on the bat you hit, and the initial speed of the pitch all contribute.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/adv...a4569/4216783/
So yes, a BP curve that doesn't curve will go farther than a 94mph fastball, but the 94 mph fastball will leave the bat 3mph faster than a 78mph curve. (Their numbers.) The spin and the spin leaving the bat are very different, and more backspin=more lift=more distance.
So in an actual game, comparing a hit fastball to a hit fastball, the faster pitch will go farther.
Seam height matters too, the high loose seams of well used 1920's balls create more drag and slow the ball down, lower tighter seams don't - too low and they don't generate as much lift lift.
The biggest HR hitters in the 20's-30's were probably every bit as good as the hitters today.