15-Year-Old Makes Potential Record with Fastball Pitch

October 13, 2020

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Baseball’s Rising Popularity and COVID Disruption.

 

Sports wax and wane but recently baseball’s been on an upward curve of public interest. That is, until COVID-19 came along and left spectators bereft of sporting competition, leaving them to turn to online gaming instead.

 

Baseball and Softball Return to Olympics

 

Baseball and softball have been rising in popularity recently, aided by the fresh energy behind the women’s game. Although the precise timing of the Tokyo Olympics, originally planned for Summer 2020, is in doubt due to COVID-19, both baseball and softball have been confirmed as events at the world’s leading celebrating of sport

This isn’t the first time baseball has been at the Olympics, but it’s been off the sporting agenda since Beijing. Aided by rising popularity and the sport’s beloved status in host nation Japan, baseball and softball are set to make a return at the Tokyo Olympics.

 

COVID Distractions: Online Casinos

One of the major consequences of the COVID-19 global pandemic has been the impact on activities that are other than essential. Unfortunately for sports fans, sports generally have been hugely negatively affected due to the combination of huge crowds, close proximity of spectators, and non-essential (although delightful) nature of watching sport in person. Practically every sport in the world had some measure of disruption, whether delay, suspension, or cancellation of seasons or fixtures.

Baseball fans, and fans of other sports, many subjected to lockdowns, found themselves with more free time and fewer leisure activities to occupy the hours. Luckily, the internet has proved a boon for communication, with many able to work from home. It’s also been great for online casinos and other distractions that allow Canadians to have some fun even when pandemic restrictions are imposed to help slow the disease. You can, of course, bet at real world establishments, but there are better alternatives of betting as playing at the best Canadian casinos online. Not only are these betting establishments far safer from a healthcare perspective, but they’re also incredibly convenient even when there isn’t a pandemic hanging around. This is because they’re readily accessible from mobile devices and that, coupled with the excellent range of bonuses the best online Canadian casinos offer, means there’s great value to be enjoyed. Whether you prefer slots or old-fashioned table games there are hundreds or even thousands of games to play, and the free cash/free spins welcome promotions mean you can even try betting for cash prizes without having to deposit a penny.

Raine Padgham’s 83mph Fastball

Pitcher Raine Padgham stands out thanks to her shock of bright pink hair, but there’s more to this 15 year old baseball player than just a snazzy hairdo. Eighty-three miles per hour is pretty fast for a car, and outstanding for a fastball pitch, but despite only being a mid-teen that’s exactly the pace that Padgham achieved at a Baseball B.C. High Performance Camp at Whalley Athletic Park in Surrey in September 2020. For those of you who prefer metric, that comes to 134 kilometers per hour.

Even Padgham herself was surprised, admitting she’d never before smashed the 80 miles per hour barrier. The speed was such that Coach Logan Wedgewood recalled everyone at the park stopping for a moment just to contemplate the power of the fastball.

Women’s baseball is one of those sports that’s rapidly rising in popularity, but the relative newness of the sport also means it can be tricky ascertaining what the records are. Because of this, it’s not entirely certain if Padgham’s power pitch was the fastest ever thrown by a female player or not, but it’s probably just below the absolute fastest (according to national team coach André LaChance). The good news is that next year Padgham will be old enough to try out for the national team, although LaChance is keen to avoid piling expectations on young shoulders. Many sporting prodigies end up suffering from excessive expectations, and while there are exceptions (Ronnie O’Sullivan and Max Verstappen springing to mind) these are significantly outnumbered by the times when players were pushed to the top too young.

COVID-19 Cancellations and Disruptions

 

Unfortunately, the sporting world has been turned upside down by COVID-19 and the international action that brought about lockdowns affecting billions of people. The very nature of sporting events (large volumes of people in close proximity to one another for non-essential reasons) saw sports, including baseball, subject to seasonal delays and cancellations.

 

As already mentioned, even the Olympics have been affected by this necessary, though irksome, step to and try combat the global pandemic. And in September it was announced that the Niagara 2021 Canada Summer Games have been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation

 

Things are now getting back to normal, or some semblance of normality, at least, as evidenced by Padgham’s pitching prowess (the 83 miles per hour pitch occurring in September). However, the sporting scene’s widespread disruption has helped lead to a significant rise in virtual sports, eSports, video game activity, and interest in online casinos, none of which pose a health risk and all of which are accessible 24 hours a day thanks to the internet.

Baseball is on the up and up, from Olympics inclusion to rising popularity of the women’s game. Hopefully the disease situation will stay calm and crowds can return to watch in person but, if not, there are always electronic distractions to fill the time.