Cracked Bats!

[3arod13]

What causes a bat to crack? Is it the speed of the ball against the fast, hard swing of the bat? Is it the angle of the ball (sinker, etc). I'm sure there are many reason, but I'm curious to maybe the most common explanation. Thanks!

[johnsontravis@ymail.com]

It is all about the force. If you don't hit it in the sweet spot the bat will be effected. It will bend and and if bad enough it will break. Pitch type has no effect other than a fast ball will give you more force. Some other pitches might have slight differences, but main thing is squaring up a ball on the handle usually.

Different bats will break in different ways. Some woods usually won't break in two, while a wood like maple shatters.

[eisenreich8]

As a kid, we were taught to hold the bat with the label facing up. That way, the force of the ball on contact was hitting sideways against the plane of the wood grain. You really can't easily break a bat that way. I notice many major leaguers completely disregard the position of the labeling when they swing. If the flat of the grain is facing the ball, the bat can "bend" more easily and crack with the grain.

Take notice of the labeling on any wooden bat. It is always placed along the flat of the grain.

[CampWest]

As a kid, we were taught to hold the bat with the label facing up. That way, the force of the ball on contact was hitting sideways against the plane of the wood grain. You really can't easily break a bat that way. I notice many major leaguers completely disregard the position of the labeling when they swing. If the flat of the grain is facing the ball, the bat can "bend" more easily and crack with the grain.

Take notice of the labeling on any wooden bat. It is always placed along the flat of the grain.

The edge of the grain compresses less and transfers more energy to the ball. So most players like to hit the edge for better impact. However the edge of the grain compresses less and so it breaks down faster. We've all seen the deadwood raised grains and grain splitting on ash bats as a result of hitting on the edge. The surface of the grain is less likely to break than is the edge grain, in 2009, bat manufacturers were told by MLB to put the label on the edge grain for maple bats to try to "trick" players into hitting the less prone to breakage surface grain. Most players care where on the bat the ball is hitting, so if the label is not up, then its probably because of where the label is in relation to the grain.

[3arod13]

Great info, thanks!

[Nnunnari]

Is this a trick question?

[3arod13]

Is this a trick question?

?

[kellsox]

Google.com

[3arod13]

Google.com

I guess some things just haven't changed around here.

[Nnunnari]

What causes jerseys to get dirty? Just curious.