Why do softball pitchers have to grunt?
This is a subject that really annoys me in fastpitch softball and I’m curious to know if anyone else out there has opinions on this. Some pitchers let out an audible grunt during their push-off, but then there are others who let out a loud “shout” on the release – or even a split second after the release. This is obviously done (and taught) to be distracting to the batter. I consider this to be poor sportsmanship and I’ve always wondered why this isn’t illegal. I’ve asked umpires what they would do if my batters yelled at one of these “shouters” while she was in the middle of her delivery – and the response is typically “Gee I don’t know … that’s an interesting question.” Reply With Quote 11-10-2009 03:23 PM #2 drc9805 Member Join Date Mar 2009 Posts 38 My daughter grunts because it forces her to breathe. It has nothing to do with trying to distract the batter. The only problem is…she won’t do it in a game because it embarrasses her. The batter is so focused I doubt they even hear
