Patent ID: 7806788

Claim:
A pitching machine for pitching a ball to a batter, the pitching machine comprising: (a) a frame having a ball magazine and a ball cradle supplied by the ball magazine; (b) a pitching arm that rotates 360 degrees at a speed of about 5 to 15 rpm, that picks up a ball from the ball cradle at a pick-up point in its rotation, and that releases the ball at a release point in its rotation to provide a first velocity component to the ball; and (c) a wheel that rotates at a speed of about 300 to 3000 rpm, the wheel positioned at the release point of the pitching arm to provide a second velocity component to the ball as it is pitched at an initial launch angle toward a batter; the pitching machine being sufficiently free of obstructions between the pitching arm and the batter so that the pitching arm is visible by the batter throughout its entire 360 degree rotation.