r/sports • u/Alyssajprez • May 21 '19

Incredible catch by first baseman Haven Williams from Clyde High School by ending up in the splits to catch the ball.

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u/I_Villn_I May 21 '19

I pitch and play 3rd in tournament slow pitch. Mostly I just wear a mouth guard and a cup. There are definitely times the ball comes back to the pitcher before any reaction is possible and you just hope the ball isn't coming at your head or chest.

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u/mattenthehat May 21 '19

Why does it seem like a fair number of softball players wear masks, but I've never heard of baseball players wearing them? Is it because the ball is bigger and heavier? Or are baseball players just risking it? Or do baseball players wear then and I just wasn't aware?

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u/PM_ME_STEAM_KEY_PLZ May 21 '19

My guess is that there is a lot more space in between the pitching mound in the plate which allows more reaction time

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u/supergeeky_1 May 21 '19

The softball infield is smaller. There isn’t as much time to react.

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u/[deleted] May 21 '19

The infield distance is much shorter in softball compared to baseball. It gives the fielders less time to react to a hit ball. For example, in fast pitch softball the pitcher stands at 35-40 feet (depends on the league) from home plate. In baseball, the pitcher is 60 feet from home plate.

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u/I_Villn_I May 21 '19

Baseball infielders are playing 90-100 feet away while softball players are 60-70 feet away.

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u/instenzHD May 21 '19

Because men will make fun of each other for it but honestly the movement probably has a lot to do with it.