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Pitch (baseball)

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"List of pitches" redirects here. For pitches in music, see List of pitch intervals.
"Baseball pitch" redirects here. For surface upon which baseball is played, see baseball field.

The typical motion of a pitcher.

In baseball, the pitch is the act of throwing the baseball toward home plate to start a play. The term comes from the Knickerbocker Rules. Originally, the ball had to be thrown underhand, much like "pitching in horseshoes". Overhand pitching was not allowed in baseball until 1884.

The biomechanics of pitching have been studied extensively. The phases of pitching include the windup, early cocking, late cocking, early acceleration, late acceleration, deceleration, and follow-through.[1]

Left handed pitcher showing pitching motion (c. 1900). Michael T. "Nuf Ced" McGreevy Collection, Boston Public Library
Left handed pitcher showing pitching motion (c. 1900). Michael T. "Nuf Ced" McGreevy Collection, Boston Public Library

Pitchers throw a variety of pitches, each of which has a slightly different velocity, trajectory, movement, hand position, wrist position and/or arm angle. These variations are introduced to confuse the batter and ultimately aid the defensive team in getting the batter or baserunners out. To obtain variety, and therefore enhance defensive baseball strategy, the pitcher manipulates the grip on the ball at the point of release. Variations in the grip cause the seams to catch the air differently, thereby changing the trajectory of the ball, making it harder for the batter to hit.

The selection of which pitch to use can depend on the type of hitter who is being faced; whether there are any base runners; how many outs have been made in the inning; and the existing score. Pitchers may bounce their pitches in the dirt before they reach the batter, but these pitches are ruled balls even if they pass through the strike zone.[2]

Signaling

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Traditionally, the catcher is responsible selecting the type and location of a pitch, using fingers to give hand signals to the pitcher, with one finger usually signaling a fastball or the pitcher's best pitch. The pitcher has the option to ask for another selection by shaking his head.[3][4]

Alternatively, a manager or a coach can relay the pitch selection to the catcher via secret hand signals.[5][6]

In 2022, Major League Baseball adopted the PitchCom wireless communication system, where catchers send signals via keypad to a receiver that speak the instructions to the pitcher and other players on the team. This system was adopted following a sign stealing scandal.[7][8][9] The KBO League began using PitchCom in 2024.[10]

Fastballs

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Main article: Fastball

The fastball is the most common pitch in baseball, and most pitchers have some form of a fastball in their arsenal. Most pitchers throw four-seam fastballs. It is basically a pitch thrown very fast, generally as hard as a given pitcher can throw while maintaining control. Some variations involve movement or breaking action, while others do not and are simply straight, high-speed pitches. While throwing the fastball, it is very important to have proper mechanics, which will increases the chance of getting the ball to its highest velocity, making it difficult for the opposing player to hit the pitch. The cut fastball, split-finger fastball, and forkball are variations on the fastball with extra movement, and are sometimes called sinking fastballs because of the trajectories. The most common types of fastballs are:

Breaking balls

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Main article: Breaking ball
A common grip of a slider

Well-thrown breaking balls have movement, usually sideways or downward. A ball moves due to the changes in the pressure of the air surrounding the ball as a result of the kind of pitch thrown. Therefore, the ball keeps moving in the path of least resistance, which constantly changes. For example, the spin from a properly thrown slider (thrown by a right-handed pitcher) results in lower air pressure on the pitcher's left side, resulting in the ball moving to the left (from the pitcher's perspective). The goal is usually to make the ball difficult to hit by confusing the batters. Most breaking balls are considered off-speed pitches. The most common breaking pitches are:

Changeups

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Main article: Changeup

The changeup is an off-speed pitch, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much slower to the plate. Its reduced speed coupled with its deceptive delivery is meant to confuse the batter's timing. Typically, it is thrown with the same pitching motion the same as a fastball but further back in the hand, which makes it release from the hand slower while retaining the appearance of a fastball. A changeup is generally thrown 8–15 miles per hour (13–24 km per hour) slower than a fastball. If thrown correctly, the changeup will confuse the batter because the human eye cannot discern that the ball is coming significantly slower until it is around 30 feet from the plate. For example, a batter swings at the ball as if it was a 90 mph (140 km/h) fastball, but it is coming at 75 mph (121 km/h) which means he is swinging too early to hit the ball well.[11] The most common changeups are:

Other pitches

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Other pitches that are or have been used in baseball are:

Pitching deliveries

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The most common pitching delivery is the three-quarters delivery. Other deliveries include the submarine (underhand) and the sidearm deliveries. There is also the crossfire pitch, which only works for sidearm delivery.[12][13]

A pickoff move is the motion the pitcher goes through in making pickoff.

Pitching positions

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Main article: Pitching position

There are two legal pitching positions:

  • the windup
  • the set which is often referred to as the stretch.

Typically, pitchers from the set use a high leg kick, but may instead release the ball more quickly by using the slide step.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Benjamin, Holly J. MD *; Briner, William W. Jr. MD + (January 2005). "Little League Elbow" (subscription required). Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. 15(1):37–40.
  2. ^ "Can a batter hit a pitched ball that has bounced in the dirt?". Baseball Rules Academy. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Can Catchers Talk to Pitchers? Understanding Communication on the Mound". Baseball Biographies. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  4. ^ Arnold, James (9 March 2023). "Catcher Signals: How Catchers Communicate with Pitchers". The Baseball Guide. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  5. ^ "Yankees Pitches". yolasite.com. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Catcher Signals". Baseball-Catcher.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011.
  7. ^ Castrovince, Anthony (5 April 2022). "MLB informs clubs PitchCom is approved for '22 season". MLB.com. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  8. ^ "How do catchers relay signals to pitchers? The technology behind PitchCom communication". PitchCom. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  9. ^ Donahue, Ben (27 May 2022). "How the Houston Astros Cheating Scandal Affected Public Trust in Major League Baseball: A Historical Research Approach". The Sport Journal. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  10. ^ "KBO, 각 구단에 피치컴 배포 및 설명회 개최" [KBO distributes PitchCom to each club and holds briefing sessions]. Korea Baseball Organization (Press release) (in Korean). 15 July 2024.
  11. ^ Walsh, John (19 September 2007). "Pitch Identification Tutorial". The Hardball Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
  12. ^ "Earl Moore – Society for American Baseball Research". sabr.org. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Crossfire?". Let's Talk Pitching – Baseball Discussion Forum. 25 June 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
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