When a bat is broken mid-swing during an MLB game, what is the bigger cause behind the break, the velocity of the pitch, or the force behind the batter’s swing?
In: Physics
Probably more to do with wear and tear than either of those things.
An MLB player will go through around 100-120 bats per year, but that is on something like 150 games and 700 plate appearances. So 6-7 plate appearances per bat with the bat making ball contact maybe 1-3 times per appearance on average(maybe more depending on the player.) So you’re talking up to 21 contacts per bat.
Every time they make contact it will cause wear and tear on the bat. Fractures, micro-fractures, cracks. I’d say it’s more overuse than anything. Every now and then you’ll get a glimpse of a batter tapping the handle of the bat on concrete or a railing. That’s to feel for vibrations that are a sign of a cracked bat.
That being said, of the two you mentioned, I’d have to guess the batters swing would be the bigger factor. Without scientific data and just based on the observation that power hitters break wayyy more bats than power pitchers.
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