Fastball in glove (Photo via Twitter)
Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing in sports, but catching a fastball might just be even worse.

Hitting a baseball is renowned as one of the toughest challenges in sports. Professional baseball players frequently describe it as their most daunting task, given the split-second window they have to respond to a pitch hurtling at blistering speeds.

Deion Sanders knows a thing or two about being a uniquely gifted athlete. He also knows how hard it is to hit home runs and steal bases at the MLB level.

In 2023, he was asked what was the most challenging part of his athletic career. His answer? Hitting a baseball.

Sanders is the only athlete to compete in both the Super Bowl and the World Series. He soon became the only athlete ever to hit a home run in the MLB and score a touchdown in the NFL in a seven-day period.

Hitting a fastball is hard, but think about trying to catch it.

A slow-motion video has been released showing what catchers have to endure, and it looks like it might be painful.

The below footage shows a catcher bracing himself as a 100 MPH fastball comes screaming into his glove.

How Social Media Reacted To A Catcher Hauling In A Fastball

Jul 7, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A general view of a baseball in the dugout of the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning in the game against the Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
“Bruised finger from repetition,” one person guessed.

“That index finger is definitely stinging,” a second person said.

“No one realizes how much of a beating those catcher’s gloves take until you use a slow mo camera. 😮🔥,” a third person wrote.

“Regardless, the hand eye coordination is ridiculous! I still can’t wrap my mind around how difficult this is to do. And they do this hundreds of times a day,” a fourth person commented of the catcher catching the fastball.

“I can tell you the joint at the end of his index finger is ON FIRE after that catch,” one final person commented.

Fearne Cotton has broken her silence on split from husband Jesse Wood in her first TV interview since the breakup.

Joining Lorraine Kelly on Monday’s episode of the ITV show, the TV presenter, 43, also gave an health update after having two tumours removed from jaw.

Fearne announced her split from Jesse, the son of Rolling Stones bass guitarist Ronnie Wood, in December after 10 years of marriage.

She has since made swipes at Jesse and moved on with TV director Elliot Hegarty, with the pair having been seen kissing during a recent night out.

Fearne has had a difficult few months after undergoing surgery to remove two benign tumours from her jawline, just days before her split with Jesse emerged.

She told host Lorraine: ‘It’s all very amicable and kids are doing great. I am in a very good place.’place.’

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Fearne Cotton has broken her silence on split from husband Jesse Wood in her first TV interview since the breakup

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Fearne announced her split from Jesse, the son of Rolling Stones bass guitarist Ronnie Wood , in December after 10 years of marriage (both pictured in February 2024)

Discussing her recent surgery, she added: ‘I feel very grateful to have completely recovered.

‘I feel really good. I have a lot of people reaching out who have had the same thing.’

Davina McCall, 56, announced in November she’d been diagnosed with a colloid cyst, a rare type of benign brain tumour, and has supported Fearne.

She continued: ‘Everyone needs a Davina. She’s been amazing, weird that we had the same health thing going on at the same time. She’s so calming and we speak every day. She is just the best

It comes after Fearne has seemingly made another thinly-veiled dig at her ex-husband as she gushed that she is the happiest she’s ever been in a positive update.

Speaking to Scott Mills on his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, Fearne gushed that she is ‘really happy’ and is ‘springing out of bed in the morning ready for life’.

Scott, who has known Fearne for 25 years, said he has never seen her ‘more positive or happier’, prompting Fearne to agree and reply: ‘Yeah I feel great!’