Finally, the end of the "does the riseball really rise"...

During the 2011 CWS, SportVision tracked each pitch for 14 of the 15 games. They tracked a few more than 3500 pitches. The attached chart is for "pfxz", which is the vertical break for a pitch. The vertical break is the distance between the expected final vertical position of the pitch and the actual vertical position of the pitch. The expected final vertical position is calculated based upon the initial direction and speed of the pitch at release.

The maximum positive break on the pitches was 17 inches. A ball thrown with a velocity of 70 mph from a distance of 38 feet will drop 26 inches. So, for the best rise thrown at the CWS, the ball still dropped at least 9 inches.

For me, this is like saying goodbye to an old friend. I don't know how I'll spend my free time from now on. Perhaps I'll spend my time watching "American Idol" or the NBA.

Anyway, this is it. To quote Ferris Bueller, "It's over. Go home."

Sluggers, thank you for finally putting an end to the mystery that is the riseball. I am sure however, that there will be those hangers-on that will try to convince the world otherwise. Whether it rises or not, you cannot argue the effectiveness of a good pitch-that-doesn't-drop-as-much.

Perception is more important than the actual physics.

Did they measure any other breaking balls? If so please post the results. I'd like to see the results for screw and curve.

Not hijack the thread, but SoftSocDad's comment applies to more than just the riseball. How many times have you seen effective pitchers passed over or dismissed because they didn't fit some ideal?

If a pitcher can get hitters out on a regular basis, and especially when the team really needs an out, she's a good pitcher. Regardless of whether she throws over 60 mph or has a wide array of pitches.

I absolutely agree with Ken and SoftSocDad. A good riseball is a heck of a pitch.

The only reason the rise is so effective in softball is because of the high strike zone. It;s fat and in your face where you think you can knock the cover off it. That pitch would die in baseball. And the high zone seams to be getting smaller in FP. Better not count out the corner pitches any time soon.

sluggers said:

View attachment 1574

During the 2011 CWS, SportVision tracked each pitch for 14 of the 15 games. They tracked a few more than 3500 pitches. The attached chart is for "pfxz", which is the vertical break for a pitch. The vertical break is the distance between the expected final vertical position of the pitch and the actual vertical position of the pitch. The expected final vertical position is calculated based upon the initial direction and speed of the pitch at release.
The maximum positive break on the pitches was 17 inches. A ball thrown with a velocity of 70 mph from a distance of 38 feet will drop 26 inches. So, for the best rise thrown at the CWS, the ball still dropped at least 9 inches.

Click to expand...

A pitch thrown at 70 mph which is say, corkscrewed like Cat Osterman throws drops 26 inches? That would produce a huge arc. Well how far would a softball drop in .4 of a second. Perhaps it is 26 inches. But if the pitch is thrown slightly upward, then it defies that arc and bend. How many have ever seen a fastball thrown 70mph appear to drop over 2 feet? Perception is the issue for a riseball. Deception is a pitcher's greatest ally. But I think this has to be thought out with a little more science, because the pitch isn't released on a flat plane allowing only gravity to apply, instead there is anti-gravitational forces involved since the pitches start slightly, or in the case of a rise ball, very up!

All a pitcher has to do is be able to pitch a ball to a catcher 80 feet away. Doing so, that same pitch will never "drop" because the peak of the arc will be where home plate would be. The trick is to be able to throw it fast and flat enough that the peak of that arc is not higher then the top of the strike zone. Figure out what that speed is, and you will have mastered the "rise ball".

Everything else is smoke and mirrors. .. damn effective smoke and mirrors. It's a good thing we have plenty of talented young ladies willing to go out and practice pitching while the rest of us spend all the energy talking about it

-W

Can you explain the x and y axes; especially the + & - on the x axis?

I agree with the others that the rise ball does not need to actually rise above it's initial direction as expressed by a straight line. Perception matters.


Thank you.