The Batting Cage

Yesterday I went to the batting cages. I thought it would be cool, but I didn’t realize exactly how cool it would be.

There were about 20 stalls in the facility, all facing a large open space. Each stall faced a video screen with a small hole just big enough for a ball to come out of. When you start your batting session, the video shows a pitcher getting up from the bench in the dugout and walking towards the mound. When he gets to the mound, he stares you down for a few seconds, before moving into his windup. A real ball shoots out of the opening exactly as the pitcher gets to his release point.

Each video screen has unique release points. Some show right handers, some left handers. Some throw over the top, others at three quarters release, and there are even a couple of submariners.

I battled a right handed over the top pitcher for sixty pitches to great success. Even managing to hit a few off of the poor virtual pitcher. Too bad it wasn’t fully interactive and didn’t react to taking shots to the chest.