Patent Publication Number: US-2003228943-A1

Title: Strike zone pitching backstop

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] In the games of baseball, softball and like, a plate is mounted in the ground of white with black trim. A pitcher stands anywhere from 30 to 60 ft. away with a hitter standing on either side of the plate. A strike is a ball crossing the plate in the hitter&#39;s Strike-Zone or any ball the batter swings at and misses. The strike zone in baseball is any pitch that crosses the plate between the batters under arm and his knees. A ball is any pitch outside of this Strike-Zone and the batter doesn&#39;t swing at the ball. In baseball, the umpire is an important part of the game because he calls the strikes and balls. Using Strike-Zone there&#39;s no need for an umpire because the pitcher and hitter can see and hear a strike. You can hear the ball hit the molded-plate, which is a strike and a ball is one that misses the molded-plate.  
       [0002] Because of the velocity and material of the hard ball, it can be a dangerous game to play and watch. There has now a safer version of the game that simulates the Strike-Zone. This aids Pitchers in learning how to pitch to the Strike-Zone and hitters in learning how to hit a ball that&#39;s in the Strike-Zone. Hollow plastic balls are batted using a hollow plastic bat or a small wood bat.  
       [0003] Broadly, the present invention provides a practice pitching and hitting device comprising of a molded plate mounted to a tubular like back-stop with an attached fiber-glass catcher.  
     
    
    
     [0004] The invention will become more apparent from the following detailed descriptions and drawings.  
     [0005]FIG. 1 is a front view of the Strike-Zone pitching backstop.  
     [0006]FIG. 2 is a front and side view of the molded-plate.  
     [0007]FIG. 3 is a folded view of the Strike-Zone pitching backstop.  
     [0008]FIG. 4 is a side view of the Strike-Zone pitching backstop. This view shows the slider connector that allows for adjusting for height of hitter.  
     [0009]FIG. 5 is a back view of the Strike-Zone pitching backstop. This view shows the back brace that can slide down into the lower tube for transport. 
    
    
     [0010] The backstop is composed of aluminum tubular pieces joined to form a rectangle skeleton for the other parts to attatch to.  
     [0011] The catcher is made of fiberglass material and attaches to the skeletal frame by using nylon cords.  
     [0012] The molded plate is made of molded plastic and screws in to an adapter attatched to the backstop. This allows for practice by learning to throw various pitch&#39;s at the molded-plate and develop speed and control. Hitters can use the device for practice by learning how to effectively hit different pitches and which pitches to lay off of because they are out of the Strike-Zone. Improving the eye-hand coordination. A competive game can be played with 2 or more players. You can choose to have 2 or 3 outs per at bat. Each team having an at bat constitutes an inning. You can play a 3, 6 or nine inning game. Up to 9 players can participate on each team and field markers and bases can be set up and markers for foul balls setup.