There’s the windup…there’s the pitch…
Wait!
First, what’s a windup?
If there is nobody on base, the pitcher will get his rhythm by a quick rhythmic arm swing, followed by the pitch. But with someone on base, the pitcher will pitch “from the stretch”…a little movement, stillness with a look toward each base with a runner, then the pitch. The runners will watch closely, and may feel free to run when the pitcher has committed to the pitch. But where is that commitment point? This is crucial!
In simple terms: a balk has occurred if the pitcher interrupts his usual motion to pitch, once begun, in any way, if there are runners on base. The penalty for a balk (which would be called by the home plate umpire) is severe: every baserunner advances one base. If there is a runner on third…too bad, he trots home and scores. If the pitcher (pitching from the stretch, naturally) assumes his motionless stance, then swats at a bug…that is a balk! It is to prevent the pitcher from taking advantage of baserunners by fooling them into thinking he is pitching, then picking them off. It is a subtle rule, but it is well understood by pitchers, baserunners, and of course the umpires.
OK, enough about “not pitching”! 1 Now let’s talk about pitching.
What is the pitcher’s goal?
The pitcher’s goals are: to entice the batter to swing at a ball and miss (a swinging strike); to get the batter to not swing at a pitch in the strike zone (a called strike); to get the batter, if he does hit the ball, to hit it ineffectually: a foul ball, a ground ball toward an infielder, a fly ball to an outfielder, or a popup.
To do this, the pitcher will (depending on the pitcher) utilize an arsenal of different pitches; it is a game of cat-and-mouse between the pitcher and the batter.
Lefty? Righty?
If the batter and pitcher are the same side, this favors the pitcher, because the batter just can’t see the ball as well when it comes out of the pitcher’s hand. If they are opposite side, this favors the batter. Sometimes a pitcher will be replaced just so as to favor the matchup with the next batter; or, similarly, the batter may be replaced.
The pitch
The location of a pitch, by the time it reaches the batter, will be determined (of course) by the trajectory of the pitch. This is mostly determined by four variables, that I call the four S’s: Speed, Slot, Seams, and Spin.
Speed: simple. A pitch can be as fast as 104 mph, or as slow as 60 mph. Of course, a fast pitch is harder for a batter to react to, but there is one more factor: the faster a pitch, the less it will be affected by the other three S’s: the trajectory will be straighter.
Slot: the angle of the pitcher’s arm as he throws. This can vary from almost straight-overhand, to sidearm, or even “submarine”. Most pitchers stick with a consistent slot. But the slot will also affect the next two factors, as in: for example, a straight overhand pitch, with the “usual” grip of the index and fingers over the top of the ball, will generate backspin (try it!). The same pitch, same grip, thrown sidearm, will be spinning sideways!
Seams: the baseball is smooth, except where it is stitched. The seams catch more air than the smooth surface; thus, the orientation of the seams will affect how much the spin affects the trajectory. The more “seam-crossings”, the greater the effect of the air on the ball.
Spin: the pitcher controls this with wrist movement and by varying the grip. For example, even with an overhand slot, the pitcher could, by holding the ball more sideways, give the ball topspin instead of backspin.
Putting these together, we get the types of pitches:
Types of pitches: categories
You may hear announcers say, “fastball” or “off-speed” or “breaking ball”. These categories are not necessarily mutually exclusive: So, without further ado:
The Pitches
The fastball: most basic. Thrown hard. Goal is simply to give the batter no time to react. 2
The curveball: thrown relatively slowly (so the aerodynamics will have more time to affect the path). Maximum spin, sideways; depending on the slot, the pitch will “loop” down and away from a right-handed batter, if thrown by a righty. Most effective if it looks like it will be off the plate, then curves in; or looks over the plate, thus enticing a swing, but curves out of reach.
The changeup: thrown with, ideally, exactly the same arm movement as a fastball, but at the last moment, thrown more slowly. Throws off the batter’s timing. Nothing makes a batter look clumsier than swinging early at a changeup, only to find the ball has barely arrived!
Slider, cutter, splitter, sinker: these are the various other “breaking balls” (in addition to the curveball). Various grips, various speeds (but always slower than the fastball). I can’t tell the difference when I watch, unless I know the pitcher’s proclivities in advance. Usually with late “movement”, but nowhere as much deflection as the curveball.
Two more, for fun!
The eephus: hardly ever thrown, definitely a novelty pitch. Very slow: think slow-pitch softball. Only works by element of surprise, or disbelief!
The knuckleball: a real pitch, and breaks every rule you just learned about pitching! The knuckler is thrown with no spin at all, and its movement is governed by random chance. In fact, the catcher is usually just as surprised as the batter by the trajectory, so this pitch results in a lot of passed balls! 3 Very few pitchers have any interest at all in learning the knuckleball, and those that do tend to make it their primary pitch. 4 There have been great knuckleballers: the Niekro brothers, Hoyt Wilhelm, Tim Wakefield, and JR Dickey come to mind. Currently, Steven Wright of the Red Sox is killing the opposition with his 70 mph knuckleball!
The Rotation
Most teams have a five-man starting rotation. These are the workhorses; they need to be superb pitchers, and also have the stamina to pitch at least five innings, preferably more. Teams live or die by their starting rotation. Seldom will a starter pitch a full game; around 100+ pitches, it is usually considered prudent to “lift” the starter in favor of
Relief pitchers
The “bullpen”. Starters seldom finish full games, and sometimes are just pitching crappy that day. In that case, a relief pitcher is put in. Most teams carry 7-8 relievers. They have to be ready to pitch every day, unlike starters, but usually pitch for much less time. The team’s best reliever will usually be the “closer”, put in for the ninth inning only, to preserve a close lead. There will be “long relievers”, usually almost-good-enough-to-be-starters, in case the starter needs to come out early; seventh and eighth inning guys; and most teams carry a lefty pitcher who can almost always get a lefty batter out, in case one is up next: a “lefty one-out guy”, or LOOGY. Bullpen management is one of the manager’s most important jobs.
- But that is a hugely important rule!
- You will hear “four-seam fastball” vs “two seam fastball”. Remember that the fastball has backspin. If you play tennis, or are an aeronautical engineer, you know that backspin will keep a ball up, relative to its natural trajectory. So a four-seamer, usually thrown the hardest, since it has more interaction with the air by the seams, will tend to drop less over its travel. A two-seamer, thrown barely less hard, will drop a bit, under the force of gravity. Since it is thrown fast, this drop will not occur until late in the ball’s travel.
- Former catcher Bob Eucker said, “The best way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling, and pick it up!
- An advantage, for the pitcher, is that the pitch makes less demand on the arm than the faster pitches; thus, knucklers tend to have longer careers.