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I don't know if this has been asked before, but is there a difference in positoning to clock LHP vs RHP? I was watching a game the other day and there were two different people clocking the pitchers. One guy was up in the press box sitting to the third base side of the field. The other guy was in the stands slightly to the first base side. (I was sitting close to this guy) After the game some of the people who were in the press box were talking about the speeds of the pitchers as recorded by the guy in the press box. The numbers they were quoting were a lot different than what I saw recorded by the guy in the stands.

I do know that both were using stalker guns. Of course there's no way to tell if they were recording the exact same pitches, but there was a variance of as much as 4-5 mph on what they were saying was cruising speed for the RHP. Can the position of the person using the radar gun make that much of a difference? If so, is it due to being in the press box vs being closer to the field, or is it being in a position left or right of the plate?
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Subject's never been discussed here to my knowledge
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If the guns were within 5 degrees of dead on, readings should be plus/minus one mph of true speed. 10 degrees off would reduce the reading by only about 1 mph.

BUT I've heard it said that pitchers should be gunned on the side they throw from.

I presume that's so the pitcher's body doesn't block the radar from picking up the ball from a sidearm release. That doesn't make sense to me. In any event, radar would get a clear look at the ball within a few feet of the low release.

quote:
is it due to being in the press box vs being closer to the field
Speed with a good gun isn't dependent on range. You might get some intermittent readings at maximum range, around 300 feet.

quote:
there was a variance of as much as 4-5 mph on what they were saying was cruising speed for the RHP
Most likely the difference has to do with the observer's definition of "cruising speed."

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Anyone know whether there's any truth that pitchers should be gunned slightly to the side they throw from?
Last edited by micdsguy
Usually the gun is moved for RHH/LHH if seated fairly close (lower seats behind back stops or standing behind backstop). It depends more on if the hitter is RH or LH (blocking the release) than if the pitcher is R/L and sometimes even where and how the umpire sets up can block things. If you’re working high enough without being too high it doesn’t make any difference as long as you are close to in line with the pitch.

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