It’s Science

When I heard Cincinnati’s scoreboard, the TV broadcast, and PITCH f/x each clocked Aroldis Chapman’s fastball to Andrew McCutchen at three different speeds, I decided to measure for myself. Using my ruler from grades 5 through 12 and a VHS copy of Monday’s late local news (which I recorded on my Zenith TV/VCR combo), I was able to conclude, after borrowing a neighbor’s calculator, that the pitch in question traveled at 103.8997 mph, plus or minus 40 mph.

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