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When thrown correctly, the split-finger's apparent last-second drop causes many batters to hit the top half of the baseball, thereby inducing a ground ball. The split-finger fastball is a very effective pitch with runners on base; a common tactic is using the split-finger to cause the batter to hit into a double play.
Types of fastballs as thrown by a right handed pitcher and viewed from the catcher's perspective: four-seam, sinker, and cutter Many varieties or 'shapes' of fastballs have been described throughout baseball history, including four-seam fastballs, rising fastballs, two-seam fastballs, sinkers, running fastballs, cut fastballs, and split finger fastballs.
An animated diagram of a cutter. In baseball, a cut fastball or cutter is a type of fastball that breaks toward the pitcher's glove-hand side, as it reaches home plate. [1] This pitch is somewhere between a slider and a four-seam fastball, as it is usually thrown faster than a slider but with more movement than a typical fastball. [1]
Finger grip on a four-seam fastball Finger grip on a four-seam fastball. The four-seam fastball is designed purely for velocity; it travels to the batter's box with little or no "break" from straight-line flight—the intent being to challenge the batter's reaction time instead of fooling him with a pitch that breaks downward or to one side or the other.
The introduction of aluminum baseball bats in the 1970s forever changed the game of baseball at every level but the professional. Aluminum bats are lighter and stronger than wooden bats. Due to the trampoline effect that occurs when a baseball hits an aluminum bat, they can hit a ball significantly further than wooden bats can.
Fastballs are not just being filtered out of advantageous two-strike counts. They are being replaced on first pitches, in pivotal 1-1 and 3-2 counts, and when the pitcher is behind. As recently as ...
New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (28) checks on left fielder Brandon Nimmo (9) after Nimmo was hit in the helmet by a pitch during the third inning against the San Francisco Giants on ...
A batter generally tries to strike the ball in the sweet spot near the middle of the barrel-end of the bat, sometimes referred to as the fat part of the bat or the meat end of the bat. The player who uses it to strike the ball—a batter, hitter, or batsman—can be said to bat the ball .