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Broken Bats

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Broken Bats
A question for you.

While watching the second NPB vs MLB game last night, I came across something that I have noticed a number of times through the season, but which seems odd to me. I wonder if you guys could fill me in.

Bonds' bat snapped in two in his second at-bat, and the Yomuiri TV commentator went mad. "Look at that! Kawakami Kenshin has snapped Barry Bonds' bat in two. What powerful pitching!" and words to that effect. The same thing happened later in the game and it got the same reaction.

Now, snapped bats are common enough, but is it really the pitcher breaking the bats, or is it (as I suspect) just the coincidental combination of the velocity of the ball with the timing and angle of the bat? I mean, if power pitchers really did break bats, surely someone like Igarashi would never get hit, ever. He'd certainly be put on some kind of environmental black-list for the destruction of forests!
Comments
Re: Broken Bats
[ Author: Guest: Brent | Posted: Nov 12, 2002 10:53 PM ]

Power pithers? I haven't heard broken bats associated with speed before. At least in the MLB, most players want a light bat with a heavy barrell so they can still generate bat speed but yet have force with a heavy barrell.

As a result they have very thin bat handles. Whenever the ball hits near the handle it usually explodes - even at 110 km/h.

It's still a sign of great pitching, at least in my opinion if you can consistently force the hitter to hit it off the handle.
Re: Broken Bats
[ Author: torakichi | Posted: Nov 12, 2002 11:35 PM | HT Fan ]

Thanks Brent. In fact your point was illustrated tonight in the 3rd NPB vs. MLB game. Barry Bonds' bat snapped right up by his fingers (he was chasing a wider pitch). One of the commentators mentioned then about the lighter bats.
Re: Broken Bats
[ Author: Giants | Posted: Nov 28, 2002 12:33 PM ]

Here in California they show NPB games (about 30 games a season) at 2 am. I watched about six or seven when I couldn't sleep and I remember a bat break and Kazuo making a great play while avoiding part of the bat. Do Japanese hitters use bats that are different from MLB bats?
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