Does cliff lee achieve triple extension? | Talk Pitching | TopVelocity Baseball Forum

Cliff Lee is an example that there are varying degrees of triple extension – and apparently inconsistent triple extension even in major league pitchers.  I have two videos of Lee pitching that I can view frame-by-frame and he doesn't fully triple extend in either one of them.  (One of them is a changeup, which might be an interesting topic.)  But, obviously he's extended in the picture above.  He does have a relatively short stride, and he has almost no drag line and his foot comes off the ground well before release – both indications that he's not a pitcher who generates a lot of momentum to the target.  (The median mlb fastball among starters according to Fangraphs is 91.4 mph.  Cliff Lee's average fastball is 91.5.)  In both the videos I have, although his hip and knee are extended his back foot is still mostly sideways and he's still on the rubber at foot plant. 

From studying pitchers since I discovered 3X, it seems to me that a good indicator of full triple extension is that the back foot has turned completely over with the laces facing the ground and the pitcher has pulled at least some distance from the rubber.