Plague of the Gods examines the science behind the most superhuman action the human body can produce - accelerating a baseball up to 100 mph. 
This action occurs faster than the human eye can follow. It creates up to nine thousand degrees a second of shoulder rotation and spin on the ball equal to the spin rate of a buzz saw. The result is the pitch and the excitement of the game of baseball. 
But this action seemingly comes with a cost. Every year thousands of kids as well as many professional pitchers go down with elbow injuries. What was once a manageable risk of injury has exploded since 2012 into an injury epidemic putting unprecedented numbers of amateurs and professionals under the knife. The dreaded diagnosis – UCL damage and the required Tommy John surgery. This surgery often causes years of pain and loss of function, ending many careers before they even start. 
It is alarming that even with nearly infinite resources, professional baseball has been unable to mitigate, much less solve the issue of pitching injuries. The conclusion is that much of the baseline science and instruction on throwing the baseball is simply incorrect. It does not correlate with what is happening on the field and what professional pitchers are doing. 
Plague of the Gods, looks at the fundamental question of how the velocity of the baseball pitch is actually generated by the body. For example, why can a string bean 160lb pitcher throw 95mph effortlessly but a 240lb pitcher struggles with 90mph? To answer that question, the book delves deep into the physics and anatomy of the body. Subjects are covered in an understandable and engaging manner using diagrams, illustrations, and dozens of pictures of professional pitchers. 
This book is targeted at any fan of the game of baseball that wants to look beneath the surface, as well as any coach, pitcher, or parent of a pitcher, looking to enhance their knowledge and prevent injury.

Plague of the Gods: An Outsider's Perspective on Baseball's Tommy John Epidemic

Sports & Outdoors

Matthew Aquilina

Baseball

Blurb, Inc.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Matthew Aquilina. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Matthew Aquilina

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Matthew Aquilina. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Plague of the Gods: An Outsider's Perspective on Baseball's Tommy John Epidemic