A Biomechanical Study of Timing in Baseball Batting against a Pitched Fastball: Comparison of Batting Situations with and without Prior Knowledge of the Type of Pitch

The aim of the study was to examine the differences in the timing of the batting motion between a situation in which the batter knew beforehand the type of incoming pitch and a situation in which he did not. Nine pitchers and 9 batters participated in this study. Batters were requested to hit the pitched ball in known-pitch and unknown-pitch situations. A successful trial of the batter was one in which the ball was hit squarely; a failed trial was one that produced a glancing blow. Pitching and batting motions were recorded with video cameras and a motion capture system. In the known-pitch situation, significant positive correlations were found between four batting phases and three pitching phases. The results suggested that the timing strategy of the batting motion in the unknown situation is different from that of the known situation.