Split finger fastball

This is a short segment of an instructional video discussing various pitching grips. This is just a portion of the section on the split-fingered fastball, or splitter.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• fastball
• splitter
• split
• fingered
• forkball
• fork
• baseball
• pitch

[dheeren62]

Paul Richards came up with the term slip pitch and says a slip pitch is a change up like a palm ball. The spliiter is designed to be thrown 5-7 mph less than a fastball. Hardly a slip pitch. You better get the Rob Neyer/Bill James book on pitching and get your terms straight. Or better yet, post a video on sonething you actually know something about.

[davidemerling]

@dheeren62 That's what makes a splitfinger fastball so unique. It has "sloppy" spin, like a slip pitch, yet it has considerable velocity. A spitter is a thrown hard and so is a shine ball - both of which are "slip" pitches.

The reason the splitter is in the category of a slip pitch is because the primary fingers, the index and middle finger slip off the side of the ball (somewhat) upon delivery, robbing the ball of spin and velocity - but it has much more velocity than any kind of change-up.

[dheeren62]

@davidemerling If it has much more velocity than a change up, how can it be a slip pitch? A shine ball is a doctored fastball where one side of the ball has starch, resin or parafin rubbed on one side of it givng it an optical illusion. I used to throw one.

[davidemerling]

@dheeren62 The "slip" minimally robs it of speed but MOSTLY it robs it of stabilizing spin. For instance, a split finger fastball taken to extreme morphs into a forkball. A forkball looks like a knuckleball that has much more velocity.

[dheeren62]

I have spoken with both Bruce Sutter and Roger Craig and both recommend hooking the bottom seam with the thunb to "deaden" the spin on the ball causing it to dive. Roger Craig told me that the "split finger fastball is essentially an upsidedown two seam fastball."

[davidemerling]

@dheeren62 The aerodynamics of a split finger fastball centers around the fact that the ball has very little spin. However the pitcher obtains that lack of spin is somewhat irrelevant. If placing certain placement of the thumb facilitates this - then fine.

A split-finger fastball is a slip pitch, in the same way that a shine ball and spit ball are also slip pitches. The difference being, of course, that a split-finger fastball is legal. :)

[mindslaughter12]

Thank you!

[wogdoggy]

death to your elbow..you can feel it the moment you widen your fingers..stick with a change up save your elbow,,this pitch JUST AINT worth it

[mikematij2]

you have a beautiful voice

[lilsnidesorioles]

im great at these i started in trip;e a and im now in last year of majors....have a loose wrist and snap it right wen u release.try it out and tell me how it works

[calebzbleeding1]

This was much more helpful than any of the other how-to videos on here

[dheeren62]

@davidemerling And also, If Paul Richards made up the term "slip pitch" and defined it, Sutter and Roger Craig basicly invented the splitter and Eddie Cicotte is the originater of the shine ball and described in detail what it is, where are you getting such wrong information? It seems to know the truth you go to the source.

[dheeren62]

@davidemerling And furthermore, the reason the thunb is used to hook the bottom seam is to apply pressure upward to literally force the ball out between the fingers upon release. Since the ball comes out BETWEEN the fingers doesn't qualify it as a slip pitch. Roger Clemons threw his splitter in the low 90's at times. That doesn't sound like a slip pitch.