Heaters
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Re: Heaters
[ Author: Guest: Jim Albright | Posted: Jun 4, 2004 12:12 AM
]
I believe at least a part of it is simply that MLB pitchers are usually taller and heavier, giving them more leverage and momentum propelling them toward the plate.
Jim Albright
Jim Albright
Re: Heaters
[ Author: torakichi | Posted: Jun 4, 2004 11:55 AM
| HT Fan
]
Timely trivia: Igarashi tied the Japan speed record last night. He threw a 158 km/h "straight" ball at Makoto Imaoka, who only just managed to get some wood on it and foul it off.
Re: Heaters
[ Author: CFiJ | Posted: Jun 4, 2004 12:08 PM
]
I would also surmise that MLB players, from the time they're very young, condition themselves with strength and (just as important, if not more so) flexibility exercises. They can't turn an 89-mph pitcher into a 95-mph, but they can turn a 89-mph into a 91-92-mph pitcher. Shigetoshi Hasegawa said that he gained a few miles on his fastball (consistently hitting 90-91) after starting a Major League conditioning program. Uehara also spent some time State-side with a conditioning coach to aid flexibility.
In Japan, the smaller emphasis on strength and flexibility conditioning (particularly modern methods) leads to more guys throwing in the high 80s rather than the low 90s. Japanese baseball is much more like MLB in the 1980s that way, before it embraced kinesiology.
In Japan, the smaller emphasis on strength and flexibility conditioning (particularly modern methods) leads to more guys throwing in the high 80s rather than the low 90s. Japanese baseball is much more like MLB in the 1980s that way, before it embraced kinesiology.
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I was reminded of a comment by Daimajin Sasaki a while ago when Yokohama beat Hanshin (Daimajin was the closer): he was talking about how he learned better control in the USA because "every man and his dog throws 150km in MLB, so I couldn't compete on speed alone."
My question is this: why is there such a marked difference in the average speed of NPB pitchers and their MLB counterparts? Is it simply a physical thing (i.e., do non-Japanese have bigger shoulder muscles than Japanese)? Or is there some other reason contributing to the situation?