Article: Think You Can Hit A 100 Mile Per Hour Fastball?

[Parker Hageman]

Earlier in the week, Parker Hageman and Dan Anderson showed you what it looked like to try to pitch frame a 100-mph fastball. Today, they try to hit it.According to ESPN/TruMedia, in the Major Leagues this year there have 821 fastballs thrown over 100 miles an hour -- with Cincinnati’s closer Aroldis Chapman firing the bulk of them. The results have been understandably poor as hitters have batted just .144 off the triple digit heat. Professional hitters have swung and missed on 36% of their swings.

 

So, with that in mind, what are the odds that two yahoos from the town leagues can even get a piece of the heat?

 

 

Ever wonder if you could make contact with a 100-mile per hour fastball? Line Drive Sports in Lino Lakes and Killebrew Root Beer have created the Killebrew 100 MPH Challenge that supports the Assist2Play.org foundation. Contact Line Drive Sports to set up your challenge today.

 

Special thanks to former Twins minor league Jamie Ogden for providing the instructions and spiritual support.

 

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[Monkeypaws]

Way to get around on those Parker! 

 

Maybe you can give Oswaldo lessons

[jay]

I didn't quite understand from the framing video whether you were trying to say this shows it isn't possible to frame a 100-mph pitch or just that it is really hard.

 

Based on this video and similar results, I'm thinking it is just really hard for normal humans to do anything with a baseball moving at 100-mph.

[Dantes929]

Facing three is tough. I imagine the more pitches seen the more contact made. This is the kind of machine I would love to have practiced on cuz it would make the real thing look much easier.

[Parker Hageman]

Facing three is tough. I imagine the more pitches seen the more contact made. This is the kind of machine I would love to have practiced on cuz it would make the real thing look much easier.

 

 

Knowing what/where the pitch was going helped a lot. The machine can throw just about any type of pitch at basically any speed. We got a warm-up round at 85-mph and Jamie was kind enough to provide Dan with an unannounced curveball that that left him bailing out and skittish for the rest of the night. Hitting 100 when a pitcher is able to unleash another type of pitch must be damn near impossible.

[ashbury]

Seems the machine pulled the string on Parker with that second pitch.  Looked like only 97 MPH.

[Steven Buhr]

Knowing what/where the pitch was going helped a lot. The machine can throw just about any type of pitch at basically any speed. We got a warm-up round at 85-mph and Jamie was kind enough to provide Dan with an unannounced curveball that that left him bailing out and skittish for the rest of the night. Hitting 100 when a pitcher is able to unleash another type of pitch must be damn near impossible.

Based solely on what I saw of a few opposing hitters trying to adjust to a Nick Burdi 93 mph slider, I'd say you're pretty much on the nose here.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Parker, I'm no expert, but I'm fairly certain you've just ruined your slow-pitch softball swing for... possibly, ever.