In-Game Heart Rate Responses Among Professional Baseball Starting Pitchers

Alterations in pitching biomechanics and performance with an increasing number of pitches in baseball pitchers: A narrative review

In baseball pitchers, the association of fatigue with overuse injury and decline in pitching performance has been discussed frequently, but the scientific data concerning their interrelationships have been inconsistently reported. The purpose of this narrative review is to summarize and explore the evidence regarding acute changes in pitching biomechanics and performance from repetitive throwing motions among baseball pitchers. Muscle fatigue from repetitive throwing not only decreases muscle output but also disturbs the kinetic chain of baseball pitching. In addition, repetitive throwing can impair the proprioceptive and kinesthetic functions needed for accurate joint position sense in the shoulder and elbow. Consequently, these changes negatively affect ball velocity and pitching accuracy, two critical aspects of overall pitching performance. Moreover, the cumulative loading caused by fatigue contributes to the high prevalence of overuse injuries, particularly in the elbow and shoulder joints. Thus it is important to comprehensively understand the relationships among changed pitching mechanics, deteriorated performance, and musculoskeletal injury originating from muscle fatigue due to repetitive pitching.

Influence of Hot Environment on Pitching and Hitting Performance in Professional Baseball

ABSTRACT

Huang, J-H, Chiu, Y-C, and Chang, C-K. The influence of hot environment on pitching and hitting performance in professional baseball. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2021-Baseball is usually played outdoors during the warmest months of the year. The long exposure to a hot environment may lead to hyperthermia and subsequent impaired cognitive function, which is crucial for hitting and pitching performance in baseball. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of apparent temperature on pitching and hitting performance in Chinese Professional Baseball League games in Taiwan. Each pitched and batted ball from a total of 480 regular season games in 2018 and 2019 was analyzed. Each game was categorized into one of the 4 groups on the basis of the average apparent temperature at which it was played: cold (below 21° C), warm (21-28° C), hot (28-34° C), or extremely hot (above 34° C). Differences in pitching and hitting variables were compared across the 4 groups. In the extremely hot environment, slugging percentage, isolated power, base on balls per 9 innings, home runs per 9 innings, and walks plus hits per inning were all significantly higher than those in the other 3 environments. The results suggest that offensive production was significantly increased in extremely hot environments in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. It is recommended that pitchers could adopt cooling interventions to alleviate the decline in performance in an extremely hot environment.