Whistling fastball

[JAD]

Just curious if anyone knows how fast a ball has be to traveling for it to "whistle". Is the whistle created by speed or is spin a component? I keep telling my DD she needs to keep working until she can make the ball "whistle", but I really have no idea how fast that really is...

 

[crystlemc]

My DD doesn't pitch terribly fast, but you can hear the ball "buzz" when she throws it. I'm guessing it's spin, because hers it what makes her effective.

 

[Chris Delorit]

Well, I've heard one of Bill's sing "Sweet Dixie" to me once. I'm still trying figure that one out!

Whistle is cool...it's the seams spinning against air pressure resistance.

 

[quincy]

I think it needs to be the spin.

Except for pitchers on here they are not breaking the sound barrier.

(I guess the ball goes by them then they hear it. ☺.
Ump, I didn't see it either but sounded like a strike to me.)

 

[shaker1]

I'll throw out a guess, around 58mph. Spin may have something to do with it, maybe. One of our pitchers throws around this speed, I can definitely hear the ball whistle when I warm her up. Made me think of bugs bunny???
https://youtu.be/hV6PwJ4ZhZg

 

[riseball]

It is seams against the air so it is a mixture of velocity and spin. When my DD got to 60mph and was spinning in the mid 20's you could really hear it. I would expect that relative humidity (thicker air) would also play a part.

 

[casedawg51]

I have heard balls hiss or sizzle. At least that is how I describe the sound. Our catcher throws 63 overhand and it makes the sound. Played with a guy in tournament slowpitch back in college that his ball would hiss at you when you caught it. Didnt have a gun but he was spooky to play catch with and when he uncorked one from SS. Ball would seem to hop up a bit coming across the infield at you.

 

[ross_buckeye]

We have a 10u rec pitcher that can easily sizzle them in all day long. Worked with a TB PC a couple years before her mom started working 7 days a week. Interesting thread, I've never wondered how fast she was actually throwing. She gets "whoa's" from 12u girls heading to the next field over, while shes warming up.

 

[corlay]

combination of spin and velocity.

greater MPH requires lesser RPS,
and greater RPS requires lesser MPH

I think 55MPH and 20+ RPS will get you there
or 58/18, etc

Using a ball with "high seams" will also help, of course

DD is about a 53/20 and she'll get a "hiss" but not quite a "whistle"

 

[johnsie33881]

Is that a 4 seam or 2 seam fastball that she throws?