The Dreaded Triangle
If you do your geometry and imagine you are the pitcher standing at the right of the triangle 43 feet away. And you misalign your release by 1 degree. How much does the ball miss the center of the plate? Well for those who passed 10th grade geometry, its tangent( 1degree) times 43 feet ( 516 inches) = 9 inches. The plate is 17″. So with a little luck and an ump with good eyes who is not feeling grumpy one inch of the ball caught 1″ of the plate and its still a strike. From 35 feet its 7″ .
No wonder pitchers have to practice so much. Its also why I tell younger pitchers never aim, use magic to locate the ball. The older ones I stick with practice more. And to think the goal is to be able to put the ball in a 4 inch window on the inside or outside of the plate!!!