Bob Fesler was a softball pitcher who pitched 7.66 innings in the open class Pacific Coast League (PCL) in 1955 for the Seattle Rainiers who finished first at 95-77. They played in Sick's Stadium.
A friend sent this to me: WAYBACK MACHINE: THE BOB FESLER EXPERIMENT
Be warned. The writer may have set a non-Olympic year record for extraneous information.
The main point is that a guy who was great throwing a softball underhand from 45 feet failed with a baseball at 60 feet. Part of it was the junk of holding runners, which he did not need to do in softball.
But Fesler was very wild throwing a baseball. The article suggests that the increased distance was the reason. Probably. But another factor may have been the ball. A softball is 12 inches in circumference, much larger than a baseball.
I have suggested that some sad sack Major Baseball League (MBL) teams try softball pitchers. It was tried at least this one time and failed.
Some extraneous information: Major league players, past and future, on that 1955 Seattle team:
Ewell Blackwell
Ryne Duren
Larry Jansen
Lou Kretlow
Jerry Priddy
Vern Stephens
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