Baseball vs. Cricket

[sideshowtim]

My Dad works in Colorado and I went on holidays there once to see him. He took me to Coors Field stadium a couple of times to see the Rockies play and it's such a lovely ground. I also love their big hitting style of play. The Rockies are great. It is frustrating supporting them though. I don't think we've had a really decent pitcher play for us for years...

 

[open365]

I think a baseball can be hit further.

The speed of a baseball when it hits the bat is far greater than in cricket and he hitting area of a baseball bat is smaller so more force would be transfered back through the ball, i think anyway.

That's for absolutely monstorous hits though, it's a hell of a lot easier to hit a cricket ball for 6 than it would be to hit a baseball the same distance.

 

[adharcric]

My Dad works in Colorado and I went on holidays there once to see him. He took me to Coors Field stadium a couple of times to see the Rockies play and it's such a lovely ground. I also love their big hitting style of play. The Rockies are great. It is frustrating supporting them though. I don't think we've had a really decent pitcher play for us for years...

You don't seem to be aware that Denver is the "Mile High City". Coors Field is a massive hitter's ballpark due to the unusual altitude there. Home runs are more frequent and low-scoring games are less frequent there. In fact, good pitchers are reluctant to come to Coors Field because it's a nightmare for a pitcher. That's why you rarely see good pitchers for the Rockies.

 

[adharcric]

The speed of a baseball when it hits the bat is far greater than in cricket and he hitting area of a baseball bat is smaller so more force would be transfered back through the ball, i think anyway.

Only 5-10 mph faster TBH. In baseball, pitch speeds generally max out between 100 and 105.

 

[sideshowtim]

You don't seem to be aware of the "Mile High City". Coors Field is a massive hitter's ballpark due to the unusual altitude there. Home runs are more frequent and low-scoring games are less frequent there. In fact, good pitchers are reluctant to come to Coors Field because it's a nightmare for a pitcher. That's why you rarely see good pitchers for the Rockies.

I know.

 

[open365]

Only 5-10 mph faster TBH. In baseball, pitch speeds generally max out between 100 and 105.

Speeds in cricket are often misunderstood.

There is a massive deaccelertaion in the bowling of a cricket ball, even a Shoaib Akthar delivery (assuming he pitches it) is only traveling at about 70-75mph when it reaches the batsman.

In basball the ball does not pitch and reach the batsman a lot quicker at a much higher speed, this is why beamers are so lethal in cricket, they don't pitch and reach the batsman a lot quicker than normal.

 

[adharcric]

Good point.

 

[open365]

Out of interest, how far does a baseball pitcher stand back from the hitter?

 

[adharcric]

60 ft (20 yds).

 

[open365]

What's that in yards?

I know a crickt pitch as being 22 yards long, can't work in firgures other than that.

 

[Turbinator]

60 ft (20 yds).

60 feet 6 inches (18.4 m) to be exact.

 

[silentstriker]

Type in '60 feet 6 inches to yards' in google...I use it for all my conversions.

 

[Fusion]

IMO, the hardest thing in all of sports may be to hit a baseball. If you are facing a fast pitcher who has 3 different type of pitches at his disposal, the task becomes almost impossible. A hitter has seconds to react, must start swinging as the pitcher releases the ball, and must guess where the ball is heading and at what speed. You are considered a good hitter if you can get a hit 3 out of 10 times. Only one man in baseball history was able to do it 4 out of 10 over his career!

 

[silentstriker]

IMO, the hardest thing in all of sports may be to hit a baseball. If you are facing a fast pitcher who has 3 different type of pitches at his disposal, the task becomes almost impossible. A hitter has seconds to react, must start swinging as the pitcher releases the ball, and must guess where the ball is heading and at what speed. You are considered a good hitter if you can get a hit 3 out of 10 times. Only one man in baseball history was able to do it 4 out of 10 over his career!

It's not three out of ten times, its a legal hit three out of ten times at bat. Which is a ridiculous rate of conversion IMO. And yea, it very well might be the hardest thing in sport.

 

[adharcric]

Gunning a deep pass to a receiver is quite ridiculous as well - throwing a spiral with that velocity at the perfect position with guys running around and in your face.

 

[silentstriker]

Gunning a deep pass to a receiver is quite ridiculous as well - throwing a spiral with that velocity at the perfect position with guys running around and in your face.

Yea, but guys have 60+ completion percentage. Not even remotely close for baseball hitters. Since the 1940s, not a single hitter has been able to hit the ball four times out of ten at bats over an entire season. Not one. That's seventy years that no one has had a 40% success rate. To have a 40% success rate, you probably only need to hit about 15% of the balls pitched at you in the strike zone. So no hitter can hit 15% of the deliveries thrown at him, over an entire season.

That is ridiculous IMO...70 years....

 

[open365]

IMO, the hardest thing in all of sports may be to hit a baseball. If you are facing a fast pitcher who has 3 different type of pitches at his disposal, the task becomes almost impossible. A hitter has seconds to react, must start swinging as the pitcher releases the ball, and must guess where the ball is heading and at what speed. You are considered a good hitter if you can get a hit 3 out of 10 times. Only one man in baseball history was able to do it 4 out of 10 over his career!

Doesn't that kind of take away from the skill factor involved?

 

[Days of Grace]

One thing baseball and cricket have in common is that both sets of fans at stats crazy!!! Perhaps, baseball even more so. The mad baseball fan knows his favourite player's batting avg. by heart, down to the third decimal point.

 

[adharcric]

Yea, but guys have 60+ completion percentage. Not even remotely close for baseball hitters. Since the 1940s, not a single hitter has been able to hit the ball four times out of ten at bats over an entire season. Not one. That's seventy years that no one has had a 40% success rate. To have a 40% success rate, you probably only need to hit about 15% of the balls pitched at you in the strike zone. So no hitter can hit 15% of the deliveries thrown at him, over an entire season.

That is ridiculous IMO...70 years....

Hmm, not sure. Not getting on base does not usually mean that you didn't hit the ball - strikeouts are much less frequent than ground outs and fly outs. Perhaps it's more accurate to say that getting on base is one of the most difficult feats in baseball. Getting the placement right is a huge aspect of it.

 

[adharcric]

One thing baseball and cricket have in common is that both sets of fans at stats crazy!!! Perhaps, baseball even more so. The mad baseball fan knows his favourite player's batting avg. by heart, down to the third decimal point.

Unlike cricket, baseball is extremely stats-oriented IMO. "Stats aren't everything" applies to cricket much more than to baseball. You either get on base, drive in runs, score runs and hit 'em out of the ballpark, or you don't. Conditions, opposition and all go out the window as you prettty much end up playing everyone, everywhere, every season in stadiums that don't really differ too much baseball-wise. The only real factor is hitting in pressure situations, but we've got stats for that too (i.e. OBP with runners in scoring position, etc).