MovieChat Forums > The Natural (1984) Discussion > Why didn't he pitch ?

Why didn't he pitch ?

posted 4 years ago by Mydarkstar (108)
3 replies | jump to latest

He was a pitcher before he was shot. Why didn't he pitch when he came back ?

Was it because the injury from shot prevented him from going through the motion of pitching ?

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8606) 4 years ago

Just finished the movie and I wondered the same thing. It does seem strange that so much is made of his natural ability to pitch and then he ends up being a big hitter instead.

The only thing that made any sense to me was that, as you say, he wasn't physically capable of pitching, but if that's the case it seems strange that he was able to hit. The motions aren't the same but they're not all that different either.

[–] sfeudy20 (36) 4 years ago

I think although this movie is fantasy it borrows from some real life situations (like the Eddie Waitkus shooting) and maybe this part reflects how Babe Ruth was a great pitcher but he ended up being a home run hitter instead.

[–] strntz (11757) 4 years ago

Was it because the injury from shot prevented him from going through the motion of pitching ?

Yes. Remember the scene when the team had a practice and he threw one pitch to his buddy from the mound? The ball ended up stuck in the backstop (showing he still had velocity) but he also winced and grabbed his side. Clearly, the gunshot injury prevented him from pitching. It was also the scene that triggered Max Mercy's memory of the track side carnival scene when young Roy struck out the Whammer 15 years earlier.

Yes, throwing is throwing but making a handful of throws as an outfielder (most at far less than full effort) during a game would be far easier than throwing 150 pitches at high leverage.