We Caught a Baseball 12,000 Times
TLDRIn a quest to determine the durability of a baseball and its glove, the video follows an experiment where a new ball is thrown continuously to see how long it takes for the cover to fall off. Starting with pitching machines set at an average throw velocity of 69 mph, the participants catch the ball with brand new gloves, recording the changes in the ball and gloves over thousands of throws. The baseball gradually turns black, loses its markings, and the leather begins to degrade, while the gloves show signs of wear and tear. The video documents the unexpected challenges, the gloves' resilience, and the eventual fraying and unraveling of the baseball's seams, culminating in a dangerous and unpredictable ball that can no longer be safely caught, after over 12,000 throws and 15 hours of effort.
Takeaways
- 🏀 The experiment aimed to see how long it would take for a baseball to have its cover fall off completely by catching it repeatedly.
- ⚾ The average lifespan of a Major League Baseball is about seven pitches, but the goal was to exceed that significantly.
- 🕒 Time was a constraint as Tash had a date in four hours, so the experiment had to conclude before then.
- 🤖 Pitching machines were used to throw the ball at an average throw velocity of 69 miles per hour to save the throwers' arms.
- 🧤 Both participants used brand new gloves to test their durability alongside the baseball's, with different types chosen by each.
- 🔢 The number of throws to cause failure was unknown, with initial guesses ranging from a thousand to more.
- 🖐️ After 50 throws, the baseball became black and scuffed, and started to smell like burnt rubber and hair.
- 👐 The gloves began showing wear after several hundred throws, with fingers getting sensitive and swollen, and stitching starting to fray.
- 🔥 At 200 throws, the baseball was noticeably hotter, and the leather started to rip, indicating increased texture and degradation.
- 🕳️ By 650 throws, the baseball's seams started to fray, signaling the first significant sign of wear since around 250 throws.
- 📉 The experiment's timeline extended beyond expectations, causing frustration and delirium, especially as Tash's date approached.
- 👋 After 1300 throws, the SSK catcher's glove was deemed broken in enough for consistent ball catching, while the other glove remained intact.
- 📈 The degradation accelerated after 5000 throws, with seams breaking at a faster rate and the ball becoming increasingly difficult to catch.
- 🚫 The experiment was halted at 12,101 throws due to safety concerns as the baseball was falling apart and became too dangerous to handle.
Q & A
What was the main objective of the experiment described in the transcript?
-The main objective of the experiment was to determine how many throws it would take for a brand new baseball's cover to completely fall off by continuously catching it.
What was the average pitch velocity set for the pitching machines in the experiment?
-The average pitch velocity set for the pitching machines was 69 miles per hour, which was calculated based on the average throw velocity of a regular game of catch.
How many throws did the experimenters initially estimate it would take to break the baseball?
-The experimenters did not have a specific estimate initially; Tash thought maybe a thousand, while the other experimenter thought it might be more than that.
What was the deadline the experimenters had to meet during the experiment?
-The experimenters had a deadline to finish the experiment before Tash's date in four hours.
What type of gloves did the experimenters use in the experiment?
-The experimenters used brand new gloves; one chose a custom Barrel routers glove, and Tash chose a brand new ssk catchers glove.
At what throw count did the baseball start to show noticeable changes?
-The baseball started to show noticeable changes after 200 throws, with the ball getting blacker and the surface becoming more scuffed up.
What was the first sign of damage on the baseball after numerous throws?
-The first sign of damage on the baseball was a frayed seam, which appeared after around 800 throws.
How did the gloves' condition change as the experiment progressed?
-The gloves started to stiffen, lose their shape, and develop frayed stitching. The experimenters had to adjust their catching techniques due to discomfort and changes in the gloves' performance.
What was the approximate throw count when the baseball's cover began to visibly deteriorate?
-The baseball's cover began to visibly deteriorate around 5,000 to 6,000 throws, with seams starting to break and stretch.
What challenges did the experimenters face towards the end of the experiment?
-Towards the end of the experiment, the baseball became dangerous to catch due to the unpredictable movement in the air and the deteriorating condition of the ball. The experimenters also faced physical discomfort and exhaustion.
What was the final outcome of the experiment after 12,101 throws?
-After 12,101 throws, the experimenters decided to stop because it became too dangerous to catch the ball. The leather was not completely off, but the ball was moving too erratically and posed a safety risk.
Outlines
🏐 Baseball Durability Test Begins
The script details an experiment to test the durability of a baseball and gloves by catching a new ball repeatedly until the cover falls off. The challenge is set against a time limit, as Tash has a date in four hours. The experiment uses pitching machines set to throw at an average game velocity of 69 miles per hour. Both participants use new gloves, one a custom Barrel routers glove and the other a new ssk catcher's glove. The baseball's condition is checked after 50 throws, showing scuff marks and a distinct smell, with the gloves showing early signs of wear. The video captures the gradual degradation of the baseball and gloves over time.
🔨 Intensifying the Baseball Endurance Challenge
As the experiment continues, the baseball's surface begins to degrade, with the ink rubbed off and the leather becoming sticky and rough. The gloves also show increased wear, with one participant switching to a finger-out catching technique due to finger discomfort. The ball's behavior starts to change; it gets hotter and gives off a burnt rubber smell. The participants note improvements in their catching abilities and the gloves' flexibility, despite physical discomfort. By 650 throws, a frayed seam appears on the ball, signaling the first significant wear since 250 throws. The gloves continue to break in, with one showing a flimsy thumb area and the other developing a pocket for catching.
🎣 Baseball and Gloves Show Progressive Wear
The video script describes an ongoing test where a baseball is thrown repeatedly to see how long it takes for the cover to come off and for the gloves to break. At 1300 throws, one glove is deemed broken enough for consistent catching, while the other remains intact. By 1600 throws, more fraying is observed on the seams, but no full tears yet. The participants endure physical strain, with one experiencing forearm and hand cramps. The ball's erratic movement due to seam changes makes catching difficult. After 2850 throws, the ball's seams are hanging by a thread, indicating imminent unraveling. The test continues, with the participants pushing through physical and mental fatigue.
🚫 Baseball Deterioration and Safety Concerns
The final paragraph of the script describes the advanced stages of the baseball's deterioration and the increasing difficulty and danger of catching it. The ball's erratic behavior, likened to various pitches in baseball, makes it challenging to predict its trajectory. Despite the gloves being in relatively good condition, the ball's condition raises safety concerns. After 12,101 throws, the leather on the baseball is separating, making it nearly impossible and unsafe to catch. The participants decide to stop the experiment due to the risks involved, leaving the baseball still not fully broken but the gloves intact. The script ends with a humorous note about starting over, highlighting the extreme nature of the test.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Major League Baseball
💡Pitches
💡Glove
💡Throwing Machines
💡Velocity
💡Leather
💡Seams
💡Durability Test
💡Degradation
💡Aerodynamics
💡Time Lapse
Highlights
The average lifespan of a Major League Baseball is about seven pitches.
Experiment aimed to catch a new baseball until its cover fell off completely.
Tash had a date in four hours, so the experiment had a time constraint.
Setup included pitching machines set to throw at an average game velocity of 69 miles per hour.
Participants used brand new gloves to test durability and catch efficiency.
After 50 throws, the baseball became noticeably scuffed and blackened.
The ball started to smell like burnt rubber after 100 throws.
Gloves showed signs of wear after 200 throws, with fingers becoming sensitive and swollen.
At 250 throws, the baseball showed the first signs of leather degradation.
By 800 throws, the baseball had its first frayed seam.
1300 throws in, the SSK catcher's glove was deemed broken enough for consistent ball catching.
At 2000 throws, significant fraying on the seams was observed.
3000 throws later, the experiment missed the initial deadline due to Tash's date.
After 4100 throws, the baseball's seams started to show significant fraying.
At 5200 throws, 18 seams were broken, but the ball was still intact.
The experiment continued to 6900 throws, with the ball showing rapid seam degradation.
At 8350 throws, the first sign of leather peeling off the ball was observed.
After 11,000 throws, the baseball started to become dangerous to catch due to fraying.
The experiment concluded at 12,101 throws, with the baseball still not fully broken but too dangerous to continue.
Transcripts
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