Beacon BallieldDimensionsGuide-2024-WEB - Flipbook - Page 44
ON-FIELD HOW-TO
Setting the Pitching Rubber
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C O N T I N U E D F R O M P R E V I O U S PAG E
Elevation, distance, levelness, and square.
These four parameters require absolute perfection in order to
successfully install a pitching rubber to specification. Elevation,
distance, levelness, and square are interdependent. Adjusting any one
of these four parameters will require you to check the other three to
ensure they are still correct.
◾ ELEVATION. The elevation of the pitching rubber is measured in
respect to the elevation of home plate. A mound that is ten inches
tall has a pitching rubber surface that is exactly ten inches higher
than the surface of home plate. Most infields incorporate a slope
in order to facilitate drainage from the infield. This will reduce the
height of your soil mound.
For example, if you have three inches of slope from the base of
the mound to home plate and need to build a ten inch mound,
the actual mound of soil you build should only be seven inches in
height. Use a transit or builders level to measure the height of the
home plate surface and pitching rubber surface. Ensure that you
have the correct change in elevation between the two. Some fields
have irregular surface grades and may tilt in odd directions. In these
situations, it might be easier to build the mound ten inches higher
than the ground immediately surrounding it.
PRO TIP
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◾ D I STA NC E. When the rule book lists the pitching distance for a
ballfield, it is describing the distance from the apex of home plate
to the front center of the pitching rubber. By the way, that is the
apex of the white portion of home plate, not the black portion.
This distance should always be measured using a steel tape when
possible. Fiberglass tapes can stretch considerably over distance
thereby threatening the accuracy of the measurement.
◾ L E V E L N E SS . Now that you know precisely where the rubber will
be located, it’s time to level it. Level is checked in two directions
on the rubber: from side to side and front to back. A torpedo level
will work best for this portion of the installation. Be sure that the
pitching rubber you are working with is in pristine condition. Any
bubbling of the rubber will make it impossible to achieve a level
pitching rubber.
◾ S Q UA RE. Once the pitching distance is correct, checking to
make sure the rubber is square to home plate is the next critical
measurement. On the pitching rubber, find the center and mark it
with a pencil or pen. Then, run a very taut string line from the apex of
home plate to the center of second base. Pop the string three to five
times to see where the line settles. Ideally, the string will fall on the
center line of the pitching rubber.
B E AC O N AT H L E T I C S
When it comes to the best pitching rubber, there’s one clear leader: the Bulldog Field Equipment Pitching Rubber.
A 3" core center surrounded by 40lbs of rubber means they last well beyond any other pitching rubber. When the cost of
replacing standard pitching rubbers is factored in, using the Bulldog Field Equipment Pitching Rubber saves time and money.
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