Fastball (2016)

With Kevin Costner narrating, lead a cast of baseball legends and scientists who explore the magic within the 396 milliseconds it takes a fastball to reach home plate, and decipher who threw the fastest pitch ever.

Director:

Jonathan Hock

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Derek Jeter, Denard Span

Cast

Credited cast:
Kevin Costner	...	Narrator
Derek Jeter	...	Self
Denard Span	...	Self
Craig Kimbrel	...	Self (archive footage)
Nolan Ryan	...	Self (archive footage)
Justin Verlander	...	Self (archive footage)
Bryce Harper	...	Self (archive footage)
Miguel Cabrera	...	Self (archive footage)
Todd Frazier	...	Self (archive footage)
Matt Harvey	...	Self (archive footage)
Giancarlo Stanton	...	Self (archive footage)
Yasiel Puig	...	Self (archive footage)
Andrew McCutchen	...	Self (archive footage)
David Price	...	Self (archive footage)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chris Cooper	...	Clifford Blankenship (voice)

Storyline

The essence of baseball is the primal battle between the pitcher and batter, but the magic of the game arises from that confrontation, only 396 milliseconds in the making. The mysteries and memories of Baseball's greatest heroes are revealed in FASTBALL, featuring interviews with dozens of former players, from legendary Hall of Famers to up-and-coming All-Stars, including HANK AARON, NOLAN RYAN, & DEREK JETER, and narrated by KEVIN COSTNER. Based on the original idea by the film's producer, Thomas Tull ("Dark Knight") who also produced the Jackie Robinson biopic "42," FASTBALL is peppered with archival footage of baseball's greatest moments plus original high-speed 4K footage and motion graphics that unlock the secrets hidden within a ball traveling over 100 mph. While players, historians, and scientists might disagree on who was actually the fastest pitcher in history - and yes, the film does the physics and concludes with a clear verdict - FASTBALL tells the story of the game itself.

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Plot Keywords:

baseball | scientist | fast ball | baseball player | narrator | 

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Taglines:

The game is played in the blink of an eye

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Genres:

Documentary | Sport

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nolan Ryan's actual first name is Lynn, named after his father. Nolan is his middle name.

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Quotes

Narrator: Baseball in the 21st Century. It is a game of specialists. A game molded by technology, driven by data and statistics. It's a game managers try to win by predicting what can only be guessed at, by controlling what can only be hoped for.

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Connections

Features Bull Durham (1988)

User Reviews

The Heat

Greetings again from the darkness. Cheese. Gas. Heat. The crowd perks up when a power pitcher lights up the radar gun and starts ringing up hitters. As narrator Kevin Costner points out, at the core of the game of baseball is the epic battle between a man with a stick and one with a rock … the bat and ball … the batter and pitcher. Director Jonathan Hock digs into our fascination with those few who can throw a fastball at speeds that cause even the elite hitters to struggle. A 100 mph fastball gives the batter 396 milliseconds to react … quicker than the blink of an eye. Mr. Hock structures the film for maximum enjoyment and ease of keeping up. I counted 13 chapters which such titles as "The Big Train", "The Heater from Van Meter", "Hoot", "The Fastest that Never Was", "Nolan Ryan", and "The Fastest Pitch" . Within each chapter we are treated to a blend of archival footage, interviews with baseball legends, and input from scientists and experts. The segments contrast the athletic side with the scientific side … especially interesting given how over the past 15 years, baseball has transitioned into such a risk strategy of performance tendency metrics. Listening to a physics expert discuss the "Magnus Effect", while legendary hitters like Hank Aaron and George Brett describe a "rising fastball", is quite an experience for those of us who so love the great game. There is a history lesson, complete with photos and film, on how measuring the speed of pitches goes back to Walter Johnson being tracked through some contraption at the Remington Armory; Bob Feller's pitch racing against a motorcycle; and a young Nolan Ryan going up against a crude radar detector. Different generations are discussed with insight from such legendary fastball pitchers as Bob Gibson, Goose Gossage, Nolan Ryan, Justin Verlander, Craig Kimbrel, David Price and Aroldis Chapman. Unfortunately 80 year old Sandy Koufax is not interviewed, but we do see some rare video footage from his 1965 Perfect Game. There is discussion on earlier eras and pitchers such as Walter Johnson, Bob Feller and the enigmatic Steve Dalkowski (who does make a brief appearance). Gibson describing his infamous glare from the mound is itself worth the price of admission. However, it's the great Nolan Ryan who has the most camera time, which is understandable given his unprecedented quarter century run as a power pitcher. Just as interesting as listening the pitchers, is having the hitters discuss the challenge in hitting the fastball. The difference between a 92 mph fastball and a 100 mph fastball is broken down scientifically by the experts and real world by hitters such as Tony Gwynn, Al Kaline, George Brett and Hank Aaron. The chalkboard and video clips work together to make it clear just how difficult it is to hit the fastball. As for the "fastest pitch ever", the mystery may never be solved.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 2016 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Major League Baseball, Legendary Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1