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?

Question

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

Answer 1

It depends on a variety of things: place the bat was hit, speed of the ball, how much the bat has been used, speed of the swing, etc.

I have seen a video of a player breaking the bat while checking his swing. He started swinging but stopped quickly. His hands stopped, but the upper half of the bat didn’t.