Fastball, Director: Jonathan Hock, 1 hour 27 minutes
For all its nuances and complexities, baseball often boils down to a “primal battle between a man with a stick and a man with a rock.” This battle is explored in the 2016 documentary Fastball, directed by Emmy winner and 30 for 30 veteran Jonathan Hock.
Hock’s film examines the role of the titular pitch throughout baseball history, particularly the cultural obsession with which hurler could throw the fastest.
From The Big Train to The Ryan Express
As depicted in the film, Senators great Walter Johnson was the first pitcher who became legendary for how hard he could throw a fastball. In the ensuing decades, pitchers like Bob Feller and Nolan Ryan gained notoriety for their powerful arms. Each of these pitchers used their fastball to overpower hitters, as well as to cultivate an intimidating, larger-than-life persona.
Fastball is an engrossing documentary that requires no prior baseball knowledge to enjoy. The film is divided into chapters that chronicle the game’s most renowned power pitchers and how their fastballs continually vexed opponents. Hock intersperses archival footage of these hurlers with first person accounts of how daunting it was to face them.
Hall of Fame hitters including Mike Schmidt, George Brett, and Wade Boggs discuss what it was like to step into the box against the likes of Bob Gibson and Nolan Ryan, often speaking in reverential tones about their imposing presence on the mound. These anecdotes offer a necessary insight into why the fastball remains a subject of fascination for both fans and baseball historians.
Understanding the Science of Baseball
The most impressive aspect of Hock’s work is how it captures the lyricism of baseball while simultaneously examining the sport from a scientific perspective. Physicists and mathematicians explain the physiology of throwing a fastball as well as the difficulties that the pitch presents to a hitter. These experts inform us that it takes 396 milliseconds for a fastball to reach home plate, meaning the hitter has almost no time to decide whether or not to swing.
The scientific explanations are thorough and easily digestible, and they help the audience understand why even the world’s best athletes can be flummoxed by a fastball. However, Hock wisely balances these segments with testimonies from hitters who dispute some of the scientific findings.
No matter how many experts conclude that it is physically impossible for a fastball to rise, countless major leaguers claim otherwise based on personal experience. The conflicting viewpoints demonstrate why the fastball has taken on an almost mythological quality. Although there is much about baseball that can be quantified, there are still physical feats within the game that seemingly defy explanation.
Equal parts engaging and informative, Fastball rarely drags during its 85-minute runtime. Narration by Kevin Costner, the star of classic baseball movies like Field of Dreams and Bull Durham, gives the film a gravitas often lacking in documentaries of its ilk.
The historical footage assembled by Hock is also impressive, especially recently discovered video from Sandy Koufax’s perfect game. Baseball fans will relish these highlights, as well as the recollections from some of the game’s all-time greats.
Simply put, Fastball is one of the most breezily entertaining sports documentaries in recent memory. Click here so you can start watching now, or put it in your queue!
