A 2005 survey by "USA Today" concluded that among the hardest things to do in all of sports, hitting a baseball ranked No. 1. Now consider the difficulty of not only hitting the ball, but hitting it 300-plus feet, high enough in the air that it clears the outfield fence. There's a reason the game's best home run hitters earn the big bucks and the TV highlights: going deep isn't easy.
Speed of Pitches
Major league pitchers often max out in the upper 90 mph range when throwing fastballs. The plate is only 60 feet 6 inches from the mound, so in a fraction of a second the batter must identify the type and location of the pitch, trigger his swing and aim perfectly in order to hit the ball far enough to leave the field. The pitcher also has a built-in advantage in that the pitching mound is raised 10 inches above the field of play, giving him leverage that increases the speed and downward plane of his pitches.
Different Types of Pitches
Not only must a hitter contend with blazing fastballs, but there's a bevy of other pitches that are used to confound hitters. Looping curve balls appear to be headed directly for the hitter, before breaking back over the plate. Sliders appear to be fastballs before quickly cutting in the direction of the pitcher's glove side. And pitches like screwballs and knuckleballs, well, they're mostly unpredictable. This is why most home run hitters prefer fastballs; hitting breaking pitches out of the park is a mammoth challenge.
Size of Stadiums
In order to hit a home run, you've got to hit the ball over the fence. That may sound simple, but outfield fences are usually more than 300 feet from home plate, and in some parks more than 400 feet away at their deepest spots. By the time the ball reaches that point, it's usually begun to fall back to earth. But it must be hit hard enough that it maintains enough height to clear the outfield fence, which is often between eight and 13 feet high.
Foul Balls
Every baseball fan has seen it a hundred times. A batter guesses perfectly on a pitch's type and location, unleashes a perfect swing and sends the ball sailing over the outfield wall. The catch: the ball faded or sliced outside of the baseline before going over the fence, falling outside of the foul pole. When this happens, it amounts to nothing more than an impressive 400-foot strike.
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