HBP strike

[Crabby_Bob]

Originally Posted by Linknblue

I've read this entire subject/post and still can't picture the scenario of ball passing thru strike zone and hitting a batter out of the strike zone. What am I missing?

Think 3-dimensionally. The strike zone is that prism over the plate between [yada, yada, yada].

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Linknblue

I've read this entire subject/post and still can't picture the scenario of ball passing thru strike zone and hitting a batter out of the strike zone. What am I missing?

How does the ball get out of the zone and "hit" the batter? Gawd, I must be getting old.

.

Must have been one of those 90 degree curve balls of which we hear from some many of the pitcher's parents

[MD Longhorn]

It's really not that hard to imagine. A curve ball just barely on the inside corner keeps curving and hits an elbow or knee or forearms on a check swing. Or a ball coming in more diagonally a la Kent Tekulve or Huston Street. The inside corner of the plate is not THAT far from the batters box, and body parts don't even always stay in the batter's box.

[teebob21]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

It's really not that hard to imagine. A curve ball just barely on the inside corner keeps curving and hits an elbow or knee or forearms on a check swing. Or a ball coming in more diagonally a la Kent Tekulve or Huston Street. The inside corner of the plate is not THAT far from the batters box, and body parts don't even always stay in the batter's box.

I got sucked into this. Hooray math!!

You wouldn't even need a curveball. Imagine a LH pitcher who throws with her feet *just* inside the legal pitching lane. The ball could easily be released from the hip a full 2 feet or more outside of the lane. This would be 36 inches off center from the plate.

When the pitch is released, the pitcher is moving forward. For simplicity, say the ball is 40 feet from the point of the plate at release. Many pitchers throw from closer (legally).

The pitch arrives at the front of the plate on the innermost corner, belly button high. Strike all day long. The center of the 4-inch wide ball is now 11 inches "inside" relative to the centerline of the plate: It has moved 47 inches toward the batter in about 38.5 feet (18 inches from point of plate to front corner black).

The back of the batters box should be about 50 inches behind the front of the plate, assuming a plate-centered 7 foot box. The ball will move 5.1 inches toward the batter in this distance, placing the center of the ball roughly 16 inches inside the centerline of the plate, or 8 inches inside relative to the strike zone. The inside of the ball is 10 inches from the edge of the plate. Lots of batters' knees, elbows, and hips live there.

I made a picture to help me figure this out. Now imagine if the pitch had an inside break...



TL;dr: Totally possible. Dead ball strike every time. Have fun selling it.