The Most Common Pitch in Baseball
The fastball is the most common pitch in baseball. Some power pitchers, like Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens and Dwight Gooden have thrown it over 100 mph, and relied on pure speed to prevent the ball from being hit. Others throw the pitch a bit more slowly, but put movement on the ball or throw it on the inside or outside corners of the plate.
Fastballs are usually thrown with backspin, which creates an upward force on the ball, causing it to fall less rapidly than the hitter might expect. Some pitchers and hitters have called this pitch a "rising fastball" because it appears to rise during the last ten feet of its path to the plate. Physicists, however, deny that such a "rising" action is possible.
Variations of the Fastball Pitch
There are several different variants of the fastball. A pitcher can grip the ball with the fingers across the wide part of the seam (called a"four-seam fastball"), which produces the straight (or "rising") fastball. Some pitchers grip it across the narrow part of the seams (called a "two-seam fastball"), which produces more of a sinking fastball.
A cut fastball or cutter is a type of fastball that breaks slightly just 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.
A split-finger fastball, or a splitter, is named after the technique of putting the index and middle finger on different sides of the ball, or "splitting" them. The split in the pitcher's fingers allows the use of the same arm speed as a regular fastball without generating the same velocity. The reason the pitch does not travel as fast is because the two "power fingers", which are typically on top of the ball at release, are now on the side of the ball, causing a degree of slippage and thus depriving the ball of about 5-10 mph in velocity. The movement caused by using the split grip is often described as the ball "dropping off the table," which can be attributed to the more pronounced effect of gravity as the pitch speed decreases, but is also helped by the degree of slippage upon release.
Legendary Fastball Pitchers
The first great fastball pitcher was probably Smokey Joe Wood, who pitched for the Boston Red Sox in the early 20th century, and got his nickname because of his amazing fastball. Wood hit his peak in 1912, when he went 34-5 with a 1.91 ERA and 258 strikeouts. But, alas, Smokey Joe blew out his arm from overuse and was never the same pitcher again. He was washed up by the time he was 25. Oh, the dangers of overthrowing.
Wood's early collapse is in stark contrast to the incredibly long and dominating careers of a handful of other great fastball pitchers. Nolan Ryan, who logged more than 5,700 strikeouts and threw seven no-hitters in his 25 year career, had a fastball that routinely clocked in at over 100 MPH. Roger Clemens has won seven Cy Young Awards and struck out more than 4,500 batters using his own 100-plus heater during his 23 year career.
The split-finger fastball was made famous by Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter. Others who used the splitter to great success were 1986 NL Cy Young Winner Mike Scott, 1993 AL Cy Young Winner Jack McDowell, and 254 game winner Jack Morris. Even Roger Clemens has developed a great splitter (which he calls "Mr. Splittee") as an "out pitch" late in his career.
The cut fastball is famously associated with Mariano Rivera, a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees. Rivera became the best closer in history by relying almost exclusively on this pitch. Rivera's cutter is particularly effective because of the significant movement that he is able to generate while still throwing the ball around 97 mph. His cutter is so effective that, despite throwing only a cutter and a four seamer, Rivera is still one of the most feared and respected pitchers in the league.
The fastball: What a great pitch.
_____________
For more Baseball articles by James L. Ray, click here.
James Lincoln Ray - Real Name: James Lincoln Ray Jim has been the Feature Baseball Writer for Suite101 since March, 2007, where he has written more then ...
Join the Conversation