Wednesday, July 11, 2012

JUST A LITTLE OUTSIDE: XKCD answers an important -- nay, the critical -- question of our times. What if a pitcher hurled a fastball at .9c?

9 comments:

  1. Joseph J. Finn11:47 PM

    An opposing pitcher still couldn't hit it?

    /Long live the DH

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  2. The Pathetic Earthling11:13 AM

    /Lasseter

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  3. J. Bowman11:14 AM

    He claims the batter has not yet seen the pitcher release the ball, but then states that the ball hits the bat first, implying the batter has swung. While the results would almost surely be the same, his ruling is faulty, as a batter who is hit while swinging is not awarded first; the result of the pitch is strike 1.

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  4. Duvall12:26 PM

    One advantage of destroying an AL stadium in an explosion of superheated plasma is that the game would actually end at a decent hour.

    /YanksSox

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  5. Joseph Finn1:01 PM

    Alternate joke: D.J. Reyburn would still call it a strike.

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  6. isaac_spaceman3:59 PM

    That's probably right.  If I knew the opposing pitcher threw a .9c fastball, I'd probably square up to bunt anyway, since I obviously don't have the bat speed for that kind of cheese. 

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  7. The Pathetic Earthling4:26 PM

    Of course, the tinsel force on the bat from trying to travel from shoulder to out across the plate in the same 60 nanoseconds would shred the thing long before you connected.  You'd have to bunt. 

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  8. Adam C.8:08 PM

    "Pinch hitting for Pedro Borbon, Jonathan Osterman." 

    (I mean, wouldn't Dr. Manhattan know this pitch was coming?)

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  9. J. Bowman9:48 PM

    Perhaps he's pitching?

    (Side topic: I claim this would not preclude him also pinch-hitting. Discuss.)

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