Kagan: The physics of ‘late break’ on pitches
From SABR member David Kagan at The Hardball Times on September 1, 2017:
There are a couple of persistent myths about pitching that are finally on the wane. Since the early days of baseball, many have argued that curveballs don’t actually curve but just appear to do so. Another legend is the rising fastball. Thanks to technologies like PITCHf/x and Statcast, we now know these two tales, while charming, are simply folklore.
In this article, I hope to add “late break” to this collection of pitching fairy tales. I guess I should be more careful. I don’t want to say “late break” doesn’t exist but instead try to convince you that all break is late break. The term “late break” is simply redundant.
This point has been addressed by others including the founding father of physics and baseball.
Read the full article here: http://www.hardballtimes.com/the-physics-of-late-break/
Originally published: September 1, 2017. Last Updated: September 1, 2017.