Murray, T. A., Cook, T. D., Werner, S. L., Schlegel, T. F., & Hawkins, R. J. (2001). The effects of extended play on professional baseball pitchers. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 29, 137-142.

Major league baseball pitchers (N = 7) were filmed during game performances of five or more innings. Two fastball pitches were analyzed for kinematic and kinetic factors.

As the performance continued, specific fastball factors changed, as did overall performance (e.g., velocity decreased by 5 mph). Movement pattern alterations demonstrated that there is no "one way of throwing a baseball," even in the most skilled performers. It was unclear as to whether changes occurred because of fatigue or if protective mechanisms intervened.

Implication. Throughout a game, movement patterns of baseball pitchers for specific types of pitches change. Training strategies have to accommodate learning the family of movement patterns that are likely to be employed in a game.

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