Disclaimer: I cannot vouge for the accuracy of any of this.
So if two pitches are thrown side by side. One at 98 mph and one at 103 mph, when the 103 mph pitch gets to the ~plate how many inches behind it is the 98 mph pitch.
The answer I come up with is that it is 14.83 inches behind it. Or ~half the length of the baseball bat. But I may not be right. But I will share the calc.
This below is what is in the blurry spreadsheet above
Pitching Speed Math
98 mph 103 mph
Pitch Speed 98 103
Distance pitching mound to home plate 60.5 60.5
feet in mile 5280 5280
feet in mile x mph 517440 543840
inches in mile 63360 63360
inches per hour at pitch speef 6209280 6526080
inches per minute at speed 103488 108768
inches per second at speed 1724.8 1812.8
pitching distance in inches 726 726
time of pitch to plate inches per second 0.4209183673 0.4004854369
difference -0.02043293045
one fiftieth of a second
arrival time difference in inches.
2.375757576 2.496969697
When the fastpitch gets to the plate how many seconds behind it is the slow pitch.
-14.83430751
~half the distance of the bat faster.
And if you can figure it out better please do so in the comments.
© 2026Thomas Paul Murphy
Ps. So I think that it should be this.
(Difference in total time between 98 and 103 pitches. Divided by the slower pitch time to plate) * distance to plate in inches.
This gives a fraction of time multiplied by the distance to plate.
So (.02043/.42091) x 726= 35 inches.
So per this calculation the faster of the two pitches arrives there 35 inches before the slower one.
This seems more like what the eye sees. the 14.83" didn't seem like it was enough.
And sure a math major might be able to factor in acceleration etc...
But perhaps the calculation has to be like this. You have to add the difference of the speed to the slower pitch to get the correct fraction??
As in ((.02043/(.42091+.02043)*726=
Two days ago I had horrific sinus pain, neck pain, stomach pain both sides. Yesterday I was better. Today bad sinus pain again. So I struggle through this.
So should it really be the difference in time divided by the time of the faster pitch * 726?
That would give 33.6" difference.
******'
And enough of this, Quote for the day, read in Investors Business Daily 05 23 2026 edition.
"The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength." Marcus Aurelius.
*****'
A Roman Emperor and Philosopher that died 180 AD. I will assert that is why some of us hear voices. Some type of weak person or people attempting to get closer to strength.
My experience of baseball is someone elses high strung nervous father who was a coach holding a lit cigarette about 12" from my face while I was on the bench. I doubt these people ever really change or keep up with the times.