Fastball

Fastball (or heat or heater ) is the quickest way to throw a baseball. A "normal" major league fastball is about 90 mph ( miles per hour, 145 km / h) fast. 95 mph (153 km / h) is considered very good, and only a few reach the 100 - mph mark ( triple digits, 161 km / h). When you Fastball grips the baseball with your index and middle finger, and with two fingers on the long side of the seam of the ball, and drops the ball when throwing roll over these fingers. The resultant backspin ( backspin ) ensures that under the ball overpressure ( the so-called Magnus effect ) because the seams run under the ball in the flight direction. In a rapidly thrown ball with a lot of rotation of the impression that the ball would rise ( rising fastball ) is created. Hitter describe extremely fast balls sometimes as exploding fastballs or screaming fastballs, due to the whirring of the seams in flight wind and pop when the ball ends up in the glove of the catcher.

In addition to the speed that minimizes the response time of the hitters, other aspects are important: the control (control or command on the fastball ) refers to the ability to place the fastball, the movement (movement ) refers to the deviation from the straight direction of flight. A good fastball is essential to the strategy of the pitcher. The constant threat to throw a fastball, supports the dangerousness of other pitches. A good supplement, for example, the changeup, a pitch that looks exactly like a fastball ( deception ), the (16-24 km / h) but is about 10-15 mph slower for the hitter. The hitter swings so early, not or only weakly hits him. In addition, often comes a drop down and a move to the beat man ( right-right duel ).

The fastest measured officially baseball pitch in a professional game was a fastball from Nolan Ryan with 162.3 km / h ( 100.9 mph ), which he threw on 20 August 1974.

Versions

When Fastball there are different variations:

• Four -seam fastball (short: four - seamer ): this is the easiest and fastest way of fastballs. This one grabs the baseball so that four seams (English: seams ) counter inflowing air wind.
• Two- seam fastball (short: two- seamer ): the baseball is so used that the seams do not turn against, but in the inflowing air wind, so that a complete rotation of the ball, only the two transverse seams are visible. Here, the baseball is thrown with the index and middle finger, and as the middle finger is longer than the index finger, this produces a rotary motion. This spin is (assuming a right-handed pitcher ) on the right-handed batsman and to absinked. A "two- seamer " is slightly slower than a "four- seamer ," but this is compensated by the swirl.
• Cut fastball (short: cutter ): the cutter is gripped like a fastball, just slightly to the left or right ( off- center), so the ball will also receive a page rotation.
• Split- finger fastball ( short splitter ): The splitter is used as a fastball thrown and also similar, but the pitcher straddles the index finger and the middle finger in a " V". Thus, the ball slows down and he gets less rotation so that he - as short as possible before reaching the strike zone - drops down sharply after ( "it drops off the table" ). The desired drop is reinforced by the pitcher can grab just before the release of the ball forward the wrist.