The research team, led by Jonathan Hore of the University of Western Ontario, attached tiny metal coils to the fingers, hands and arms of 10 volunteers. The coils sent electric signals through wires to a processor that displayed the arm’s positions. As his hand traveled in an arc, found Hore, the pitcher had a window of only .01 second in which to extend his fingers and release the ball. Extend them too early and the ball is high; too late and the ball is low. (That’s why a tired pitcher throws high: his arm is slow, so he releases the pitch early in its arc.) The surprise was that no other joints affected control. Scientists are still weighing this theory, but it has struck out with one expert. As Atlanta Braves ace Greg Maddux (23 walks in 210 innings last year) put it, “Well, honest, that doesn’t make any sense at all to me.”
