2006-10-23 22:23:42 · 9 answers · asked by ths0127 3 in Sports ➔ Baseball
Many weighs...pine tar is a heavy substance (extremely thick) so all you have to do is rub a lil on there and it will weigh one side down which makes it move all kinds of crazy ways once given some kind of spin. Or it can give you a better grip on the ball and on a breaking pitch you can break it off much better to give it a harder sharper break at the end of the pitch.
Ex: Say there was just a lil pine tar on the right side of the baseball (pitchers point of view) and he throws a 4 seam fastball that ordinarily would be flat without any break, with the pine tar it will make it move inside on a right hand batter (outside to a left) by 2-5 inches and prolly drop a lil as well...baseball is a game of inches, this keeps the batter from hitting the ball on the sweet spot of the bat. 1-2 inches is the diff. between a HR and a ground out/fly out.
Also, this is why they do not allow pitchers to throw balls with scuffs on them b/c they can use that scuff to their advantage to make the ball do things it wouldnt ordinarily do. The umps toss balls with scuffs...
2006-10-23 23:21:59 · answer #1 · answered by wcbaseball4 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Pretty much anything you put on the ball will affect it's flight by altering the aerodynamic properties and the center of gravity. Most pitchers try to cheat by getting a substance on one area of the ball to make it curve, drop, or move.
2006-10-24 05:22:16 · answer #2 · answered by Take it from Toby 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Apparently it helps a pitcher grip the ball better and it would have been even more important on Sunday night since it wa such a cold night.
2006-10-24 03:32:26 · answer #3 · answered by Gigi & Tino 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is a sticky substance that allows the pitcher to get a better grip on the baseball, which allows the ball to break sharper or sink faster.
2006-10-24 01:35:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It adds weight to the ball and makes the pitches drop more as they cross the plate. Usually they try to put it in the seams so it's not as visible.
2006-10-24 01:29:08 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
as everyone is saying it is sticky and he gets a better grip on the ball and since it is so cold the ball gets even slicker so it makes control a little harder...
2006-10-24 06:11:44 · answer #6 · answered by Voicekiller 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's sticky and the pitcher can get a better grip on the ball giving him more controll they discussed it on espn
2006-10-23 22:28:14 · answer #7 · answered by keoni_21 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its sticky and can give you a better finger-tip grip allowing you to maxamize spin on the ball
2006-10-23 22:34:16 · answer #8 · answered by ong jon 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it will make it easier to throw curve balls and the cardinals were saying he had a nasty cirve that had weird movement
2006-10-24 07:48:23 · answer #9 · answered by wrightowns5 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋