Fastball

For the American band of the same name, see Fastball (band).

For the game also known as fast-pitch softball, see Softball.

The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power" pitchers, like Randy Johnson and Billy Wagner, can throw it 95-100 mph (150-160 km/h), and rely on this speed to prevent the ball from being hit. Others throw more slowly but put movement on the ball or throw it on the outside of the plate where the batter cannot easily reach it. The effect of a faster pitch can sometimes be achieved by minimizing the batter's vision of the ball before its release. The result is known as an "exploding fastball"; a pitch that seems to arrive at the plate quickly despite its low velocity. Fastballs are usually thrown with backspin, so that the Magnus effect creates an upward force on the ball, causing it to fall less rapidly than might be expected. A pitch on which this effect is most marked is often called a "rising fastball", as the ball appears to rise to the batter. Colloquially, use of the fastball is called throwing heat or putting steam on it, among many other variants.

Gripping the ball with the fingers across the wide part of the seam ("four-seam fastball") produces a straight pitch, gripping it across the narrow part ("two-seam fastball") produces a sinking fastball, and holding a two-seam fastball off-center ("cut fastball") imparts lateral movement to the fastball.

A variation on the fastball is the forkball and the similar split-finger fastball.

Rising Fastball

The rising fastball is a pitch perceived by batters, but known to be baseball-myth. Some batters claim to have seen a "rising" fastball, which starts as a normal fastball, but as it approaches the plate it rises several inches and gains a burst of speed.

Such a pitch is known to be physically impossible, due to restrictions of gravity, conservation of momentum, and air density. It has been explained as an illusion. What is really happening is that the pitcher first throws a fastball at one speed, and then, using an identical arm motion, is able to throw another fastball at a higher speed. The higher speed fastball both arrives faster, and sinks less due to its high speed. In fact, the added back-spin from the higher speed further decreases the amount of sink. Thus, as the pitch is thrown the batter expects a fastball at the same speed, yet it arrives more quickly and at a higher level. The batter's eyes and brain perceive it as a fastball which has risen and increased in speed. A switch from a two-seam to a four-seam fastball can further enhance this effect.

This perception is also created by the fact that a hard-throwing pitcher, usually at least six feet tall, is throwing the ball from a higher release point on an elevated mound (the pitcher's rubber is ten inches above the field level). Factoring in the element of depth perception when the hitter watches the pitcher from sixty feet away from the pitcher's mound, and the hitter perceives the pitcher's size and positioning on the mound to be much less elevated than it actually is. Hence, to the hitter an overhand pitch will appear to be thrown at a hitter's shoulder level (or even belt level), as opposed to several inches above the hitter's head, from where the pitch is actually released from the pitcher's hand. This perception enhances the apparent "rising" motion of the fastball when the pitch passes by the hitter at a higher level than where the hitter perceived the pitch to have left the pitcher's hand.

It is possible for a rising fastball to be thrown by a submarine pitcher because of the awkward technique with which they throw the ball. Because they throw almost underhand, with their knuckles near the dirt, it is possible for the ball to rise slightly as it gets to the plate. However, this is not the traditional rising fastball batters believe they see.

Four-Seam Fastball

A four-seam fastball is a variant of the fastball.

The four-seam fastball is a pitch that is used often by the pitcher to get ahead in the count or when he needs to throw a strike. The type of fastball is intended to have minimal lateral movement. There are two general ways to throw a four-seam fastball.

The first and most traditional way is to find the horseshoe seam area, or the area where the seams are the farthest apart. Keeping those seams parallel to the body, the pitcher places his index and middle fingers perpendicular to them with the pads on the farthest seam from him. The thumb will then rest underneath the ball about in the middle of the two fingers. With this grip, the thumb will generally have no seam to rest on.

The second way to throw a four-seam fastball is to take a baseball and find the area where the seams are closest together. Keeping those seams parallel to the body, the pitcher place his index and middle fingers on the baseball perpendicular to the seams. With this grip, the pitcher will feel more comfortable with those two fingers apart, as they will have more control because of smaller hands. The pads of those two fingers need to rest on the seam that is farthest away from the body, keeping equal pressure with those two fingers. The thumb will then rest underneath the ball about in the middle of the two fingers. This gives some pitchers a little better control physically, if not mentally. Critically, the thumb needs to rest somewhere on the side to middle of its pad. It's not necessary to push the baseball all the way back into the hand, which will decrease both control and velocity of the baseball.

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Two-Seam Fastball

A two-seam fastball, sometimes called a two-seamer, is another variant of the straight fastball.

The two-seam fastball is designed to have more movement than a four-seam fastball, but can be more difficult to master and control.

The pitcher grabs a baseball and finds the area on it where the seams are the closest together. Then, the baseball is rotated so that those seams are perpendicular to his body, with the index and middle fingers on each of those seams respectively.

Each finger should be touching the seam from the pads or tips to almost the ball of each finger. The thumb should rest underneath the ball in the middle of those two fingers, finding the apex of the horseshoe part of the seam. The thumb needs to rest on that seam from the side to the middle of its pad.

This ball will tend to move for the pitcher a little bit depending on velocity, arm slot angle and pressure points of the fingers. Greg Maddux and Pedro Martinez are known for their particularly effective two-seam fastballs.

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Two Seam Fastball Pitch Two Seam Fastball Pitch Two Seam Fastball Pitch

Cutter

A cutter, or cut fastball, is a type of fastball which breaks slightly as it reaches home plate. This pitch is somewhere between a slider and a fastball, as it is usually thrown faster than a slider but with more motion than a typical fastball. A common technique used to throw a cutter is to release a fastball with slight pressure from the tip of the middle finger.

The cut fastball is famously associated with Mariano Rivera, a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees. Rivera has become one of the best closers in Major League Baseball history by relying heavily on this pitch. Rivera's cutter is particularly effective because of the significant amount of movement (away from right handed batters and in on the hands of left handed batters) that he is able to achieve while still throwing the ball around 95 mph. Al Leiter rode his cutter to 162 career wins and a no-hitter. Esteban Loaiza effectively used a cutter to help him win 21 games in 2003.

Split-finger fastball

A split-finger fastball or splitter is named after the technique of putting the index and middle finger on different sides of the ball, or "splitting" them. When thrown hard, it appears to be a fastball to the batter, but suddenly "drops off the table" towards home plate—that is, it suddenly moves down, towards the batter's knees. It was made famous by Hall of Fame Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals closer Bruce Sutter, who would be the first of many pitchers to make it a so-called "bread-and butter" or "lights-out" pitch of his repertoire. Sutter claims that while he was in the Cubs' farm system, a minor-league pitching instructor named Fred Martin saw Sutter favouring his elbow. As Sutter was recovering from recent arm surgery, Martin encouraged Sutter to try throwing the split-finger pitch, reasoning it would place less duress on his arm. It is thrown today by many pitchers, including Roger Clemens, John Smoltz and Curt Schilling, a reflection of its popularity amongst power pitchers; Clemens's splitter, one of the tougher pitches in the history of baseball, has been a key reason for his continued success into his early forties. The motion of a split-finger pitch is similar to the outlawed spitball, and at one time the pitch was known as the "dry spitter".

Oakland Athletics right-hander Rich Harden has gained notoriety for his splitter, which features a bizarre knuckling action in midflight. It has been occasionally referred to as the "ghost pitch" and the "spluckle" (a portmanteau of splitter and knuckleball, coined by Harden teammate Adam Melhuse).

A related pitch is the forkball, which has more of a tumbling action.

A split finger fastball is more of a hard breaking pitch than a fastball.

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Sinker

A sinker is a pitch in which the ball is spun so that it drops suddenly as it reaches the plate. Besides making the ball harder to hit, the downward motion also makes contact with the ball more likely to result in a ground ball.

A sinker can also be known as a sinking fastball. It is thrown with a two-seam fastball grip. Besides sinking down, the sinker can have sideways movement by applying more pressure to the index or the middle finger.

Major proponents of the sinker include SP Greg Maddux, SP Derek Lowe, SP Carlos Zambrano, SP Jake Westbrook, SP Carlos Silva, and RP Julian Tavarez.

See also

• List of pitches
• Telegraph (sports)