StarTalk Radio - #ICYMI - World Series Throwback Special

Episode Date: October 26, 2017

Just in time for the 2017 World Series, Gary and Chuck revisit iconic plays from the Fall Classic. Featuring physicist John Eric Goff, Houston Astros Announcer and 2005 World Series winner Geoff Blum, Lehman College Baseball Coach DJ Price and NY Yankees fan Neil deGrasse Tyson.Don’t miss an episode of Playing with Science. Subscribe to our channels on:TuneIn: tunein.com/playingwithscienceApple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/playing-with-science/id1198280360GooglePlay Music: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Iimke5bwpoh2nb25swchmw6kzjqSoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/startalk_playing-with-scienceStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/startalk/playing-with-scienceNOTE: StarTalk All-Access subscribers can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free: https://www.startalkradio.net/all-access/world-series-throwback-special/?safari_redirect Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

I'm Gary O'Reilly and I'm Chuck Nice and this is Playing With Science. Today it's our World Series throwback special where we will revisit some of the most iconic and everlasting plays of the fall classic. And who can resist a trip down memory lane with these guys? Absolutely not me. That's right. And breaking down the science inside these majestic moments is our good friend from Lynchburg College, Virginia, and the author of Gold Medal Physics, Professor Eric Goff.

What's up, Professor? Oh, I'm sorry. Just getting ready for some good fall baseball. Sounds good. But that's not all. In part three, we have an extra special Playing With Science Q&A. Shall I spoil it, Gary? Spoil away.

Yes, with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and World Series winning home run hitting Jeff Blum. They're going to answer some questions on the World Series right here on Playing With Science. So that's on the menu for part three. So you are not going to want to miss that. And no cheating. Go the distance. And he will come. He.

Have fun doing that. That's good. Right, now joining us is our good friend, physics professor Eric Goff. Eric, how are you, sir? Doing well. I'm really glad to be back. Yeah, we're always glad to have you, you know.

Yeah, you're our resident physics expert. Yeah, sir. Doing well. I'm really glad to be back. Yeah, we're always glad to have you, you know. Yeah, you're our resident physics expert. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So should we get to our first play? Let's take our little trip down memory lane. And of course, Dr. Eric, we're going to ask you to break down the science and the physics of these plays. Is that cool? That would be great. All right, let's first go way back in time with one of the greatest players of all time. It's the 1954 World Series. It's the eighth inning in Game 1, Giants versus the Indians. The score is 2-2, and the Indians have two on base. Indian slugger Vic Wertz is at the plate, and he smashes a ball deep to center field.

And the rest is what they say. The say-hey kid does best, catches the ball at the wall, and man, does he hurl one. Take a listen. Look at this. Catches the ball at the wall. Boom. That is unbelievable. He's like one of the best defensive players ever. Can you imagine Vic Wertz has hit it that far, he's thinking, I'm off.

Base is one, base is two, I'm around the bend. And by the way, that's a 425 foot shot, which in most, a lot of parks would have been a home run, right, Eric? Well, you got to think they're in the polo grounds and the polo grounds back then had a little wedge out in center field that actually went to 483 feet. Right. It was like a little cutout, right? That's right. feet. Right. It was like a little cutout, right? That's right. But the ball that Mays caught was just before he got to that cutout. And he had a nice shadow there beside of him that I'm sure kept the ball in the sun. So it was just outside the shadow. And only four men have ever hit a ball out of that park in deep center. So, I mean, you know, Wurtz drove it about as far as you can. It would have

been a home run in any other park. Right. So, yeah, I mean, the great thing is, is that the left-handed Don Little that was pitching was replacing Sal Magli, who was the starter. And then once Mays makes his great catch, Little was replaced, and the apocryphal comment that Little made was, well, I got my man. Man. So when you look at something like that, first of all, from a science standpoint, a physics standpoint, what kind of has to happen for a ball to go? You said four men have launched the ball out of that park, period, at that deep center spot. That's right. All right. What has to happen? Have you made any calculations in terms of ball speed, bat speed? What happens on a physics level for a ball to travel that far? Well, the ball's probably coming off the bat at something like 110 miles an hour.

Wow. It was in the air about five and a half seconds or so before Mays caught it. So this is a really, you know, deep shot, like you said, about 420, 25 feet. And Mays is playing in shallow center field at the time. And you got to remember that sound speed is about one millionth of light speed. So when Mays sees that ball get hit there's going to be a slight delay before he hears the crack of the bat so there's a great deal of instinct that's going on when that ball is hit he's just sprinting back toward the center field wall and he catches it right over his left shoulder after running about half the uh the length of

the outfield so what sort of speed is Willie Mays going at once he starts to chase this down? Well, you've got to think an elite sprinter is going to do 100 meters in about 10 seconds. So you're talking about 10 meters per second or about 22 miles an hour. So I would say Willie Mays like that early in his career, young, very fit, athletic. He's probably getting 20 miles an hour approaching that speed as he's running toward that ball. And how far has he got to throw back? Well, now he's sitting there at 420 feet and he's got to get the ball back in the infield. And equally as impressive as the catch was the throw back. Yes, absolutely. When you watch him throw it,

he throws the ball with his entire body. He hurls the ball so hard that he spins himself around and falls down and still throws the ball accurately. It's amazing. It's not just distance. It's accuracy and distance. Yeah. It's just as good as the catch, the throw is possibly as good, if not better.

That's right. You know, you got Larry Doby. The great Larry Dby was on second base uh he had run almost to third he had to go back to tag up and then he ended up getting back to third but this uh the game would have gone a lot differently had that ball gone over his head i mean that might have even been an inside the park home run right he he turns around and and his hat had already come off and he turns around and and just like a whirling dervish just fires that ball back into the infield. So he's, you know, throwing that ball, you know, close to 300 feet or so in the air.

That's amazing. That's amazing. And so and we're looking at this. What would you say? Because this happened September 29th, 1954, Polo Grounds here in here in New York. 1954 Polo Grounds here in New York. What would you say would be the marked improvement in players between now and then? And then how much distance would you put between Willie Mays then and best players now? Oh, I think Willie Mays could play today. I mean, he was a gifted athlete. He certainly had top-notch speed that would rival the top base dealers today. But clearly, players today are bigger. Training regiments are better. Nutrition's better. They have a lot more coaches watching their health and their training. Their transportation's a lot nicer. They're getting paid a lot more.

I mean, some of these guys... Didn't have to get the bus to the stadium. And a lot of these guys relied on that World Series paycheck for added income. I mean, that was a big deal to make it to the World Series back then. I mean, the impact of this, was it Mace Catch kept the game tied, allowing the Giants to win 5-2. And I'm reading this because I've got a favorite name in here to win the game 5-2 in the 10th inning off of Dusty

Rhodes pinch hit home run that's well Dusty Rhodes what a great name and Dusty Rhodes had a great series with a pinch hitting but if you ever watch Dusty Rhodes's home run to win that World Series, he gets that in the right field corner just into the stands at 258 feet. Oh, right. So a 258-foot hit wins the game for a home run, but a 425-foot out. Yeah, exactly. 425 feet, you get caught out where 258 you win the game. That's pretty incredible. Pretty incredible.

There weren't any MVPs back then in 1954, were there? Oh, no, I don't think so. However, Major League Baseball have decided for 2017, the World Series MVP will now be called the Willie Mays World Series MVP. So a man who wouldn't have got an MVP back for that particular feat. Gets one every single year. Absolutely. Every single year from now on, he will get an MVP because his name is...

You can't separate him. You can't separate him from being the MVP. We're doing a jump from 1954 to 1977. It's October 18th. Yes. And we are going to visit Mr. October. Can only mean one man, Reggie Jackson. Chuck, get through.

So here we go. It's game six. Okay. He comes to the plate. He's walked for his first batter plate. Then he hits a home run in the second back. Then he hits another home run at his third at bat. He can't do it again, can he? No, he can't do it again. But wait, he does it again. That's right. His fourth at bat. And this is guy, he is the only player to ever hit three home runs in the same game.

Now, I'm sorry, he's not the only. He's the second. That time. He's the second player. He's the only player of his time, of his era. But the only other player to do it was Babe, of course, Ruth. He wins the MVP. And because of that, he is dubbed Mr. October.

Mr. October. Why not? So let's take a look and a listen to Reggie Jackson. Goodbye. I mean the pitcher can't believe it. He cannot believe it. He's dialed up his number once again.

Am I right there watching that? Reggie Jackson's done this wearing glasses. He's got reading glasses on. Unbelievable. Oh, listen to that noise. That's a line drive. That's a line drive. That's a line drive. So that's the line drive home run.

He was the second person to hit three homers in World Series games. One single team. There's been four guys who've done it. Is it Puyols and Sandoval? The other two are now in the same conversation as Babe Ruth and Roger Jackson. So it's not a regular occurrence. Well, you know, I'd say that during this time, this particular era, the reason why... Okay, so Eric, I'm going to pose this as a question to you.

I was about to make a statement, but I'm going to pose it as a question to you. Babe Ruth does it. I was about to make a statement, but I'm going to pose it as a question to you. Babe Ruth does it. But everybody says during that particular time, you know, the athleticism of baseball was nothing like it was when Reggie Jackson did it. Let's not forget Babe Ruth did it twice. Well, that's true. 1926, 1928. Yeah, and he basically says, I'm lucky.

That was his answer for why he could do it. I'm a lucky guy. But then Reggie Jackson does it in his error, and he's the second guy to do it up until that time. And people say, well, Babe Ruth doesn't count. It's much harder for Reggie Jackson to do it because those players were much better than in Babe Ruth's day. And then you've got Albert Pulse and, wait, who's the other?

Sandoval. Yes. Pablo Sandoval. So then that happens and people say, well, it's even harder because the players are even better. What's your take on that argument? Because can you ever compare eras or is it always going to be that argument that the players are bigger, faster, stronger, and therefore it's harder for the player who does it later in any era of any era, it's harder for that player?

Well, you got to think the 70s and 80s, the pitching was a little bit more dominant. The 70s and 80s, the pitching was a little bit more dominant. Once you got into the 90s and the aughts, of course, then the hitting really took off. So it wasn't that unusual for somebody to be hitting in the 30s in the home runs to lead the league. Reggie Jackson could hit 44 home runs or something like that and lead the league. This was not an era where you saw a lot of 50 home runs. Foster had 52 that year, but that was rare. Do you think it's about basically the talent at the position, or is it about the prowess of the athlete?

I definitely think Reggie Jackson was a great athlete. Watching that home run in the 1971 All-Star game he hit in Tiger Stadium, that guy could absolutely just wail on a ball. He also struck out a lot because when you watch his swing, it is a full open up I'm going to kill that ball or I'm going to go down swinging type of swing. I mean, he's almost down on his knee when he swings that bat. Absolutely. Yeah. And it's funny because I never think of Reggie Jackson as a great athlete because

he always looked to me like somebody's dad playing baseball. I don't care how young he was. He just looked like somebody's dad playing baseball. I don't know what it he was. He just looked like somebody's dad playing baseball. I don't know what it was. I'm sorry. That's just me. Well, the beauty of what Jackson did, I mean, in game five that they lost, he had hit a solo home run in the eighth inning. And when he came out in the sixth game, he's walked on four straight pitches in his first at bat. And then his next three swings of the bat are from three straight first pitch home runs so he went four straight swings of the bat when he hit a home run oh my god now see that i that's amazing yeah see that that's what makes this such

a standout because you know you talk about a guy gets a hot hand. Just ridiculous. And that's four different pitchers. Yeah. Four different pitchers, too. Unbelievable. All right. Well, listen, we've got to take a break, and we're going to come back with some more stuff, right?

Right? Yeah, right. From Mr. October, we throw straight to a break. And when we come back, we'll unlock even more science behind a couple of the more iconic World Series moments with Professor Eric Goff so stick around we'll be back shortly Welcome back, I'm Gary O'Reilly and I'm Chuck Knutts

This is Playing With Science This is our World Series throwback special episode and with us to unlock the physics is our good friend, Professor Eric Goff of Lynchburg College in Virginia. Right, let's waste no time, Chuck. What's our next clip? Here we go.

Let's bump up to 1988, the World Series home run. It's game one of the series. And on October 5th, 1988, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, we have Gibson's dramatic game-winning home run. So Gibson is pinch hitting for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's the bottom of the ninth. Okay? Already I'm excited.

Bottom of the ninth. This guy is holding injuries to both of his legs. He hits a two-run walk-off home run, and of course the athletics, Dennis Eckersley of the athletics that won the game for the Dodgers by a score of 5-4. So Gibson's home run was the only

played appearance of the series that helped the Dodgers defeat the A's four games to one. And, of course, secured their sixth World Series title. And let's take a look at the clip. Now is at the plate. High fly ball into Whitefield. She is gone! Yeah.

Tommy Lasorda runs out. He's running as fast as I could right now. He's running. He's dragging his legs. He's limping around the bases. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. You know what? When a teammate you know is physically suffering goes out and says, you know what, I'm here.

You want me? I'm playing. It doesn't matter what kind of pain I'm in. You kind of have to get a lift. Yeah. So now let me ask you something, Professor. Dennis Eckersley, really a weird delivery on his pitch. I mean, what would you call that?

Is that a sidearm pitch? It wasn't really sidearm. He just had a weird delivery and a very weird release point. Does that kind of help or hurt a hitter? So Eckersley started off his career as a starting pitcher. I mean, he had pitched a no-hitter for the Indians. He was, you know, not a star, but a decent starting pitcher. When he was moved into the bullpen by, you know, Tony LaSorda, I mean, sorry, Tony LaRussa, he had this nice delivery for a reliever that doesn't require a whole lot of energy. I mean, he's going in a slightly sidearm way of throwing,

and his go-to pitch was what's called a backdoor slider. And it was a 3-2 pitch, and Gibson is supposedly thinking that a 3-2 pitch, 3-2 count, Eckersley's going to go to a backdoor slider. The problem is the slider was a little too much over the plate, didn't quite go in the backdoor, went more in the front door on that pitch. Didn't slide enough and didn't go in the backdoor. Went out the side door. When it left his path, it did go out the side door.

What fascinated me, the good people of Los Angeles voted this their greatest sporting moment. They had the Olympics in 1984, yet this moment, this home run resonated so deeply with them. What was it for you? I think when you watch the ball go into the stands, notice the brake lights you see on the cars outside the stadium. There were some people that left early. And when they're listening to it on the radio and all of a sudden you see those brake lights come on, you kind of wonder if they might have wanted to stay. Wow.

Oh, man. That's why Eric's the professor, because he noticed the detail. Yeah, exactly. Brake lights. But that says you're an awful fan. I'm sorry. because he noticed the detail. Yeah, exactly. Break lights. But that says you're an awful fan. I'm sorry. I mean, no disrespect. Oh, yeah.

No disrespect to anybody listening to us in L.A. But listen, I'm just speaking as an Eagles fan. You've got to learn how to love your team when they screw you over year after year after year. You don't leave the stadium, you know what I mean? Because that's your badge of honor. It's like, I'm sticking with these guys. I'm going down with the ship. And then you go home and you scream about how they suck.

And that's about, that's the whole process. That's the whole process that makes you feel better. And you know what? I'm about to cry. I'm sorry. Don't be sorry for him. There's some great science in that swing swing of gibson's because i mean he had hurt his legs in the the championship series against the mets and he's coming up to bat the

great eckersley's on the mound uh the ace had gotten four runs on one swing of the bat when jose canseco had hit a ball into the camera in center field so they that's where their four runs came from i mean they got this powerful uh ball club the a's that had won 10 more games that year than the dodgers then you get uh you got gibson up there and you know his legs are bad so he doesn't have that full extension whenever he's got the stride he doesn't have that but if you notice the swing he still gets the hips rotating slightly and he gets the torso rotating. So all of that nice stored energy in his body and the core is unleashed when that backdoor slider hangs up in the strike zone.

Very cool, man. Yeah, I mean, it's got to be. Maybe that's why people love this moment so much is because to have injuries to both your legs and be able to ding a homer uh in the world series is amazing but anyway it's a great moment and i'm glad that we had a chance to take take a look at that let's get to our throwback number four and let's jump forward in time a little bit more and we're going up to 1991 and this is the twinsins versus the Braves in the fall classic and we're talking a little Kirby Puckett. We're already in extra innings here, right? So I think it's like... Am I right? This is considered

the greatest World Series of all time? A lot of people think the series itself, so, because every game kind of went down to like the last of bad and it's like, it's just super full of drama. This whole series was just full of drama. And here we are at game six.

We're looking at 11 innings and the score is tied 3-3. Kirby Puckett, take a look. Into the left-hander, delivers. Puckett swings and hits a blast. Deep left center, way back, way back. The Twins go to the seventh game. Touch them all, Kirby Puckett. Touch them all.

Touch them all. And the Twins have won this game 4-3 on a dramatic home run by Kirby Puckett. He's just now getting to the plate, and he touched it amidst all his teammates, and the Twins win the game amazing eric here's the thing about that it kind of looks like he goes down and stretches out to grab that ball did am i wrong yeah i mean when you think about the ball interacting with the bat it turns out that the pitch speed is only about one sixth the contribution to the home run that is the bat, it turns out that the pitch speed is only about one-sixth the contribution to the home run as the bat speed. The bat speed is much more important. So when

Reggie Jackson hits one off of a knuckleball, or you got Kirby Puckett hitting Charlie Libran, who certainly wasn't a speedball thrower, I mean, the bat speed is important. So you've got a, you know, a little powder keg like Kirby Puckett up there who just explodes onto that pitch. And you'll notice the leg will come up a little bit. You get all this strength in the thighs and in the core that's going to rotate on that pitch. And it doesn't take long for it to leave the field. Yeah, and Kirby Puckett, for those of you who remember, the guy was built like a fire plug, you know, seriously, he was like just this little, it was like a little box of power,

you know, that's the way he was built. And what kind of, what does that stature do for a hitter when you have a guy like Puckett who's built the way he is. You know, he looked like he was almost as wide as he was tall. We've got the big power hitters. We're used to seeing those. And you've got this little compact bundle of energy. I mean, there must be some sort of difference in dynamic, Professor. And so is it easier or better to be taller? And does that stretch the strike zone?

Or is it easier and better to be like Kirby Puckett, where you're just like this, like I said, a fireplug? So, I mean, a typical bat's going to be 31 to 35 ounces. And a big, huge Dave Winfield or a Jose Canseco or some of these bigger players uh they're going to use a heavier bat you know babe ruth used a heavy bat and these things have you know big moments of inertia you get a lot of energy transfer when you swing that heavy bat but you don't have quite as much control uh so you get a diminutive player like kirby puckett and you know like i, he's like a little powder keg and you got these big thighs, you got, you know, a strong core and he gets a lot of bat speed on a

short swing. It's not a huge, big looping swing like you saw from Reggie Jackson. Right. Not a long windup. He just kind of, it's almost like it's a snap. Just a compact swing. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. I want to ask you this uh professor um because you're such a fan of this game when you look at the hitters of uh today and let's let's just go back to maybe like the aughts so we'll start around the 2000s okay um who do you say uh who would you say has the best swing and would be considered the best hitter of this current era? Well, if you're talking about the odds, I mean, I'd have to go with Albert Pujols.

He dominated the odds like I don't think anyone else did. I mean, he had an incredibly powerful, compact swing. He hit for high average, certainly early in his career. He was probably the best of that decade. You call them the alts? Yes. See, at home in the UK, the noughties. The noughts.

The noughties. The noughties, yes. Sorry, I'm learning another language. I'll catch up soon enough. The noughties is what people in the alts were putting in their body to help them hit some of those. Professor, you are sharp. That was good stuff right there. I'm going to take it.

Well, listen, man. I'll give you that same question for right now because we're not through this decade yet. We're seven years through this decade. What do you think right now? Who do you see kind of dominating this particular era and generation? I like to watch Bryce Harper hit. Oh, yeah. I mean, that guy's got, I mean, when he really is up there with his teeth grit

and he's got the determined look on his face, he really knows how to punish a baseball. Nice. Very nice. Very nice. Man, this is good stuff. This is good stuff. I wish we could do it. It's great to take a little look back at the World Series to break

down some of the science and the physics involved in some of these great plays. I'm glad we got the chance to share it with you because your love of the game, just a Costner reference there for baseball, it just comes through. I saw what you did there. Thank you very much. I saw what you did there.

So it's great to get a feel, because especially for me, baseball is something I'm getting to grips with and learning more about every day. So thank you. Well, thank you for cricket so we could make baseball. Exactly. I think you may have improved it,

but don't tell anyone in the UK I said that. Oh, too late. Right, we're going to take a break. Up next, a special treat on Playing With Science. Yes, we have a World Series winning, home run hitting Jeff Blum. And that man, yes, Neil deGrasse Tyson. Stick around.

Welcome back. I'm Gary O'Reilly. And I'm Chuck Nice. And this is Playing With Science. And this is our World Series throwback special. And for our final segment, we've got something special just for you. Yep. Facebook Live with Yankee fan Neil Degrass Tyson and Houston Astros announcer and former player Jeff Blum.

Yeah. And for those of you who don't know, Jeff hit the homer in the 2005 World Series while playing for the White Sox against the Houston Astros, and he is now the announcer for the Houston Astros and Neil deGrasse Tyson, of course, being a Bronx-born, huge Yankees fan. So we recorded this segment on Friday, October the 13th, just hours before the Yankees actually played the Astros in the playoffs.

So enjoy. Enjoy. Hey, Neil deGrasse Tyson. Yankees fan Jeff Blum, Astros announcer. Game on. Game on. Game on. And this is Gary O'Reilly And I'm Chuck Nice And this is Facebook Live Thanks for joining us And the reason why Gary pointed that out

Is because we're here in studio Talking about Baseball man Baseball And I brought my trainer with me DJ Price This is DJ Price Hey DJ

Welcome He coaches college College baseball here in town Yes And I said well come on by Because I know he's going to have some opinions Right So welcome to Playing With Science.

You're outnumbered, dude. You are seriously outnumbered. I'll tell you this much. If those of you who are tuning in right now via Facebook Live, you can ask us anything you want. If you want to ask Jeff Blum something about the Astros,

if you want to ask Neil something about baseball and the universe, if you want to ask DJ something about baseball and training, we got it all here. If you want to ask Neil something about baseball and the universe. If you want to ask DJ something about baseball and training. We got it all here. If you want to ask me something about, I don't know, my general life. I need a joke.

Or if you want to ask Gary something about how soccer and baseball actually compare and contrast. You can do that and I'll be taking your questions as we go through. So somebody already said, Neal, I love your shirt, and clearly you are a Yankees fan because you are from? Born and raised in the Bronx, Bronx in the house.

Right on, right on. He lives in the Bronx too. And DJ is wearing an Eagles hat. Let me just point this out. He lives in the Bronx, too. And Jeff and DJ is wearing an Eagles hat. Let me just point this out. Anybody who is a playing with science fan knows that I am a huge Eagles fan.

So thank you, DJ. All right, Jeff, who's going to win? Astros, Yankees. The game or the series? All of the above. It's tonight's game one. Tonight is game one, right? I can't give it away. Tonight is game one.

Jeff, you're on tonight announcing tonight's game, correct? No, you know what? I'm done. Regional sports TV broadcasters are done. They go regional. I'm a fan tonight. Oh, good for you. You get to watch the game.

Why the Astros and not the Yankees for you? Dallas Keuchel pitches very good at Minute Maid Park, and the Astros offense, so they're setting records with their OPS that I know Neil loves in the playoffs over 900. The add in percentages. Push his buttons. Add percents.

He's messing with your mind. If I'm 80% good and you're 80% good, we're not together 160% good. That's not how you do numbers. But go on. Go, go, Jeff. Yes. You're looking at the numbers. The Astros are good.

They're young, swinging the bats good, and they put a hurting on Tanaka in 2015, last time they faced off in the playoffs. You've got memories there. Yeah. Alright, let's get to a question real quick. Jeff Kohler, another Jeff, says, what would happen if you switched a baseball to a cricket ball?

Ooh. How would that change the game? Is a cricket ball, like, wood? No, no, no. I think it's the same thing. It's slightly larger because it's got the raised stitches and slightly larger in red. Go ahead, Jeff. I'm thinking of the wicket ball or whatever. So, Jeff, it only has one seam.

Yeah, it only has one seam. So, it reacts differently when they spin it and stuff like that. The baseball moves a little bit differently, but I think you're right as far as size and weight. It's leather covering wood, right? Mm-hmm. Right. So, Neil, would that speed up or slow down the game? If the ball is heavier, stuff is going to go slower.

Okay. Yeah. I mean, it's – I mean, look at the speed of a golf ball that gets hit and how far it goes. I mean, plus you want it to be dense enough so that it can actually win against the air, right? So you can ball up a sheet of paper, throw it as hard as you want, it's not gonna go more than 10 feet. So the combination of size and weight and density

especially matters here. All right, any more questions? Very cool, very cool. Who pitches faster? Is it the bowler in cricket or is it the? I think the pitcher, the baseball pitcher. Because, I mean, Aroldis Chapman's going to dial up three digits. I was going to say, you've got Aroldis Chapman there.

He pitches 105 miles an hour. That's incredible. He's dialing up three digits, I think. So these guys who do that, how fast do their balls go? Don't forget, it's going to hit the ground and bounce. So they're going to be not far— Yeah, off the pitch. They're not going to be far behind, but they're not quite there.

Okay, if you threw a baseball through a wormhole. Oh, there's always a wormhole. There it is. There's always a wormhole. There's always a wormhole. Them darn wormholes. It's like that pigeon. Actually, I just made that up, but I know our listeners.

I know how they are. But I have an answer. You can play baseball across the universe through a wormhole. I mean, just think about that. You throw through the wormhole, and someone is waiting on the other side of that hole, and then out comes the ball, and then you swing, and you hit it back through the wormhole. Ross Universe baseball game. That'd be cool.

Trans-universal baseball. Yep. I love it. All right, let me find another question. Here's another new sport we've invented. Can Aaron Judge strike out enough times to cause a black hole in the Yankees? You son of a... There's a black hole in the swing.

How dare you? DJ, why is he striking out? What's he doing wrong here? I mean, he's definitely getting a lot more breaking pitches. I mean, you can tell that he's not going the other way with it. He's trying to pull. He's pulling his left side out, I think, a little bit. And he's not waiting.

He's just not getting the recognition that he needs. You say he's not as good on the slower pitches. Well, I mean, it's easy to hit a fastball within reason. I mean, the slower pitches are going to move. They're going to change planes. So it's definitely something you have to put into perspective and try to go the other way with. And he just, in the beginning of the season,

he was hitting the ball to the right side a lot more. And now he's getting left field happy, center field happy. You agree with that, Jeff? No, a lot of it is approach, but you also got to add in the pressure of the postseason. So when the pitch slows down, the game speeds up, and that's not a good combination for the hitter. Because like he's saying, you start to try and go get the baseball.

The baseball is moving. Your head starts to move. That means two things are moving, and that makes the game real tough. So he's in a bad place right now. Oh, they're throwing him quick tonight. Let me jump in there because I know Jeff has to go. Lisa Fraser wants to know this. Jeff, last one for you.

Do you think players that have a better understanding of physics have a better advantage in the game and therefore better performance? Do you think that, Jeff? That's a great question. I think it's important for these guys to understand that these days because we talked about pitchers pitching on a different plane, but it's the application that worries me a little bit. Sometimes guys let their head get in the way of the game a little bit too much,

and then things get a little screwy. So if the guy can understand it and apply it, that guy is going to have a way better chance, I think. Yeah. Interesting. Very cool. Jeff, I know you got to go, man. Thanks so much for joining us because you have to get to get to another interview right now. He's a wanted man. He's a wanted man. Dude, I love the space shuttle up on the shirt. No, I love talking with you guys. This is great stuff. It's a pleasure as always on your on your Astro shirt. Take you up on that. And that's in Memorial to

it would have been, was that your 03 jersey? Is that right? Yes. You're exactly right. So that would have been the Columbia disaster in Memorial because, of course, the manned space program is based in Houston. There you go. Hey, Jeff, thanks a lot, man. Over and out.

And for those of you who are with us via Facebook Live, we're going to continue with Neil and DJ, and, thanks a lot, man. Over to you, Jake. You too. And for those of you who are with us via Facebook Live, we are going to continue with Neil and DJ. And I have a question now who says, Neil, can't wait to see you in Richmond. Did the Yankees use physics when designing the new stadium? That's the only reason I can think of to make it so easy for them to hit homers. Now, first of all, you, you kind of secretly hating on the Yankees. I don't appreciate it.

Is it a hate innuendo? A hate innuendo is there, but it's a very good question in that, um, how does, uh, an actual design and construction of a stadium assist in the statistical performance of a player? Well, so consider that if the air circulation in a stadium, if you have prevailing winds and you know that they're one way more often than another in the evening and you want to exploit this for the stadium, you could. And your stadium is like U-shaped U-shaped, horseshoe-shaped, you can imagine orienting it so that the air circulates and then comes back out and helps the pitch and helps the hit ball. The thing is, it's not going to help one team and not the other team.

So you can't claim that this is specifically a Yankee advantage in a game the Yankees are playing against another team. What the Yankees did do in the original stadium was the Yankees had the farthest point in any field in the major leagues at 464-something feet. It was so far out, the ball would never be hit there. And there was monuments out there and there was a flagpole. There was stuff out there in the field. There was stuff. Hey, there's extra space. Put some stuff there.

We know we're never going there. So now watch. And it was left center field. The right field fence was 296 feet. It was the shortest point of any field. So you could hit a home run not even hitting it 300 feet. Why?

Because the Yankees' power were left-handers. In the 1920s. Babe Ruth. Lou Gehrig. And so they could just loft home runs on a whim. So yes, in that case, they had a stadium

designed for their batters. And so if you want to talk about home run asterisks, you can say, oh, you hit most of your home runs over the short post. Your homers are at home rather than on the road. Yeah, at least half will be. And that would be more than half. If this is where we play more games than not, why not build our own advantage in?

Yeah, and in fact, if I always hit to exact right center, then bring that part in in a promontory. I'll even pay for it. It's interesting because Citi Field originally was built for pitchers. Citi Field for the Mets. Yeah, originally built for pitchers. But opposing teams were hitting so well there, they were like, well, how do we get our team to do as well?

And they started bringing the fences in. And then opposing teams were still hitting well there, and then the Mets started to come around. But even when you try to build a stadium to match your team, because the Mets were trying to match their team for pitching, sometimes it doesn't work in your favor. And another way you design a stadium for the pitcher and not the hitter is to have very wide foul

zones. Right. Alright. You can catch a foul ball. Right. And it's easier to catch a foul ball. Right. Right. So, uh, all right. Yeah. It does. You can catch a foul ball. Right. It's easier to catch a foul ball. Right. Right. Right. Okay. So now, uh, DJ, uh, I got one from you and this is, um, uh, this is from Soren Holland who says this, Hey, how are you going to wear a Brooklyn shirt and an Eagles hat? What's up with that? I mean, I like all sports. I'm a big fan of everything. You know, the Eagles, it's just a family thing.

And then, you know, it can't go wrong with Mike Tyson. I mean, come on. You're absolutely right. I have to tell you, DJ, that when I saw your shirt, I said to myself, okay, this guy, his ears look delicious. And I'm thinking about that. I might just take a little taste of him. Okay, this guy, his ears look delicious. And I'm thinking about that. I might just take a little taste of him.

You know, if I would have planned better, if I would have known I was going to be coming on, I would have definitely worn Mets gear. I just yanked him out of the street here. So when you coach at Lehman College, are you mostly a strength coach, a batting? I do most of the speed and strength stuff. I'm the third base coach, and I work with the outfielders and defense mainly. Okay, all right, cool.

I have a question for you. The Astros have a diminutive hitter. Altuve. Altuve. What is going on there? Because normally it's the big power, the guy with the guns just comes out and goes, ding. This is a little guy that's just making everything go ding, ding, ding. He's an amazing talent.

It's funny because he was told at one point that, you know, we don't need you. Like when he originally got signed by the Astros, they told him to go home. And he got on a bus and he's like, you know what? I'm not doing this. And he came back for the next day and they're like, well, we cut you. And he's like, no, no. And I am telling you, I'm not going. I'm staying here. But he's got a good one. They put you on a bus. No, it isn And I am telling you, I'm not going. I'm staying here.

It's never good when they put you on a bus. No, it isn't. Yeah. But they have, I mean, well, this is another country too. Yeah, yeah. But, yeah, so, I mean, he stuck around and they kept him. And, you know, so now he's MVP talent. But he has an unbelievable knack for making quality contact.

His bat is always where the ball is. We were talking about Gardner before. Why is it now a little guy can do that, whereas before little guys weren't? It's bat speed. It's bat speed. It's all about bat speed. Because you've got to think about it. It's a bat path.

So his hands get through the zone very quickly. And, you know, let's say he's using a 32-inch bat, which is probably going to be about 29, 30 ounces, give or take. I mean, he uses a tool that matches his size. And now all he has to do is make good contact with the ball. It's coming 95 miles per hour. You're going to send that ball someplace. But is his strike zone smaller?

They have to shrink down? Oh, definitely. I mean, his strike zone, the natural strike zone is going to be between knees and the letters, basically. So, you know, he gets down nice and low. He's going to get a lot more pitches to hit. We were talking about Aaron Judge being thrown kryptonite. He's six.

What's his? I looked it up. He's 6'8", 284 pounds. Total opposite. But he's kind of proportioned. So he walks around, and he looks normal, and then he stands next to someone else. I said, whoa.

Like, what jolly green giant just walked in. He's next to guys in the dugout, and he just towers over them. You just see a head moving across. Interestingly enough, I'm watching the game. He crouches down. He actually does bend his knees if you watch him. He's not trying to. He doesn't let them exploit his size.

He actually gets down a little bit. All right, let me get to one more question because we're running out of time here. Running low, okay. All right, and we're running low on time here. Neil, this is from Valerie Williams. Hey, Neil, if you were to throw a wiffle ball on Mars, how much different would the throw be compared to a regular baseball on Mars with Mars' gravity and atmosphere?

It's a very good question. What's good about that question is, of course, a wiffle ball, it can leave your hand at 100 miles an hour. That's right. But it gets to the batter going nothing. That's right. Because it is totally absorbing the air. Exactly.

The air resistance is all about that. And so on Mars, the air pressure is one one-hundredth of what it is here. Oh. Yeah. Yeah. Do you not? Yeah. There's hardly any air.

There's no pressure at all. You can take a wiffle ball, throw it 100 miles an hour, and get hurt by it. So the thin, thin atmosphere allows that wiffle ball with all those holes in it. Here's how to think about it. Go ahead. A wiffle ball will behave in a thin atmosphere the way a heavier ball would in a heavier atmosphere. Gotcha. Right. So the thin atmosphere makes a wiffle ball heavier.

Well, no, it makes it behave. It won't slow down as much. It won't slow down. Right, Right, it won't slow down. Right, right. And with the lower gravity, you know, oh, I want to make sure we get this in. I calculated and tweeted long ago, there is a slowest possible pitch.

Where? Here on Earth? Yes. Yes, okay. Sorry, sorry, yeah, on Earth. Listen, I'm considering who I'm talking to. I'm just considering the source. Yes, yes.

So if you calculate it, so anything slower than this is going to bounce before it hits the catcher. Okay. So 25 miles an hour at 45-degree angle. Okay. That is the slowest possible pitch. The slowest possible pitch to make it over the plate. Make it from the pitcher to the catcher 60 feet, 6 inches. Anything slower than that

at any other angle is not going to make it. It's going to tail off. It'll tail off, that's right. So on a different planet, it will be airborne. Oh, there's the tweet. I said 30 miles an hour. My tweet from five years ago says 30 miles an hour.

Uh-oh. I'm going to go check. Now you've got to redo all your calculations. You've got to do all your calculations. It's either 25 or 30. Yeah, but that's me. Either way, it's how fast I'm throwing a ball. There you go.

All right, listen, we are out of time. Oh, my gosh. So make sure that you check out Gary and Chuck Nice on Playing With Science. And you can find everything that we do on StarTalkAllAccess.com. No matter what it is, if it's StarTalk, it lives there, plus things you can't find anyplace else. So make sure you check out StarTalkAllAccess.com. Neil, thank you. Sure, and DJ, thanks for coming in.

Yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you. Some baseball expertise. Absolutely. I'm Gary O'Reilly. I'm Chuck Nice. Catch you next time.