If a woman had a 98mph fastball, they would be on the mound opening day.
If a woman could hit a 95mph fastball, she would get a chance.
So far, sports are meritocracies.
“If a woman had a 98mph fastball, they would be on the mound opening day.”
Nail on head. The Guinness World Record for fastest pitch by a female was 69 mph by Lauren Boden of California back in 2013. At the recent 2018 Women’s Baseball World Cup, Australian National Team starting pitcher Brittany Hepburn registered the fastest pitch of the tournament at 76.4 mph. At the major league level, the players would tee off on that speed a pitch. The average jugs gun in the league in 2021 clocked in at 93.5 mph...with movement. The fastest recorded softball pitch is 77 mph. But the average pitching speed for college softball ranges from 58-65 miles per hour, taking all divisions into consideration. A far cry from the low 90’s so that 14’6” feet will be made up quickly.
The only way a woman could be competitive is with a really live knuckle ball. But the players have been conditioned on hitting movement pitches with splitters and knuckle curves for years.
And I have never met a woman that could catch up to a low 90’s fastball so their hitting is the same result...failure. The average for hitters in the MLB last year was .244. That meant that they failed at getting a hit more than three quarters of the time with men’s strength along with years of teaching and practice at the skill. Women would be blown out. Too much upper body strength required and the women aren’t strong enough at lower body for this.
wy69