# Pitch Types · Baseball Level 3: Pre-Intermediate

Baseball · Level 3: Pre-Intermediate · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/baseball/level-3/pitch-types/)

The four-seam fastball, two-seamers and sinkers, the cutter, slider and sweeper, the curveball, the changeup, the splitter, the knuckleball, rare pitches and building a pitch mix.

## Test 1: The four-seam fastball

- Gripped across the horseshoe, the ball shows four seams in each rotation. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Strong backspin makes it drop less than the hitter expects. (Source: General baseball reference)
- MLB four-seamers average in the low to mid 90s. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Up in the zone, its carry makes hitters swing under it. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Its simple grip and straight path make it easiest to command. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Hitters describe some fastballs as heavy when they seem to bore in and sink. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Velocity is measured in miles per hour on the radar. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Fastballs are quickest; curveballs usually slowest. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Velocity climbs with age and level. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Fingers across the horseshoe make the four-seam grip. (Source: General baseball reference)

## Test 2: Two-seamers and sinkers

- The fingers run with the seams where they come closest together. (Source: General baseball reference)
- A sinker moves down and towards the pitcher's arm side. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Hitters swing over the top of a sinking pitch and pound it into the ground. (Source: General baseball reference)
- A sinkerballer's outs come from ground balls. (Source: General baseball reference)
- A grounder is needed for a double play, and sinkers produce grounders. (Source: General baseball reference)
- With the infielders back, a ground ball to them lets the runner on third come home. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Two-seamers and sinkers move towards the pitcher's throwing-arm side. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Sinker, grounder, two outs. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Sinkers produce grounders; high fastballs produce fly balls and whiffs. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Down and in on the arm side is the sinker's path. (Source: General baseball reference)

## Test 3: The cutter

- A cutter is a fastball that darts a few inches to the glove side late. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Rivera's cutter made him the career saves leader. (Source: General baseball reference)
- A right-hander's cutter moves in on a left-handed hitter's hands. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Cutters are usually a little slower than the four-seam fastball. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Moving the fingers a little off centre gives the late cut. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The break comes only in the last few feet. (Source: General baseball reference)
- It runs in on left-handers' hands. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The cutter breaks a little; the slider breaks more. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The late cut jams the hitter. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The cutter's late break towards a lefty's hands breaks bats. (Source: General baseball reference)

## Test 4: The slider

- A slider breaks to the glove side, with some downward movement. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Sliders sit between fastballs and curveballs in speed. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The sweeper became popular in the 2020s for its wide horizontal break. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Moving away from a same-side hitter, the slider leaves the barrel behind. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Aimed at the hitter's back foot, it dives under his swing. (Source: General baseball reference)
- A slurve has the speed of a slider and the shape of a curve. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Tunnelling the slider off the fastball causes swings and misses. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Sweepers break the most sideways; four-seamers barely at all. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Away from a same-side hitter, the slider escapes the bat. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Big glove-side sweep away from a same-side hitter is the sweeper. (Source: General baseball reference)

## Test 5: The curveball

- Like clock hands from 12 to 6, it breaks straight down. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Topspin makes the ball dive. (Source: General baseball reference)
- After fastballs, a slow curve throws the hitter off. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Tucking a fingertip on the ball gives a sharper spin. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Many curves pop up slightly out of the hand before diving. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Many coaches want young pitchers to master the fastball and changeup first. (Source: General baseball reference)
- 'Uncle Charlie' is old slang for a good curveball. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The 12-6 curve drops most; the four-seamer least. (Source: General baseball reference)
- A curve may pop up, then dive late. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Straight downward break is the 12-6 curve. (Source: General baseball reference)

## Test 6: The changeup

- Matching the fastball's arm speed hides the slower pitch. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Thumb and index finger form a circle on the side of the ball. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The speed gap is what fools hitters. (Source: General baseball reference)
- It fades away from opposite-handed hitters. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Most changeups fade and sink like a slower two-seamer. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Hitters say it looks like someone pulled it back on a string. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Many coaches see the changeup as a safe second pitch for young arms. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Same arm speed, slower ball, early swing. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The curve is slowest; the cutter is close to fastball speed. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The circle grip makes the circle change. (Source: General baseball reference)

## Test 7: The splitter

- Splitting the fingers wedges the ball between them. (Source: General baseball reference)
- It looks like a fastball, then tumbles down late. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Many Japanese pitchers throw splitters and forkballs. (Source: General baseball reference)
- A forkball sits deeper between the fingers and is usually slower. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The late drop makes hitters swing over it. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Ohtani's splitter is one of his best strikeout pitches. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Swinging over the top of it usually produces ground balls. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Splitters are thrown with very little spin. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Fastball look, late drop, miss. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Spread fingers make the split-finger grip. (Source: General baseball reference)

## Test 8: The knuckleball

- With almost no spin, the air pushes it about unpredictably. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Despite the name, most knucklers grip it with fingertips or nails. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Even catchers do not know where it will go. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Thrown slowly with little effort, it is easy on the arm. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Dickey won the 2012 NL Cy Young with the Mets. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Slow, wandering pitches are hard to catch and easy to steal on. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Few pitchers can throw it with enough control. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The knuckler barely spins; the four-seamer spins most of the three. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The wandering path fools hitters and catchers alike. (Source: General baseball reference)
- A wandering, barely spinning pitch is a knuckleball. (Source: General baseball reference)

## Test 9: Rare and unusual pitches

- A screwball breaks towards the pitcher's arm side. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Valenzuela's screwball led 'Fernandomania' in 1981. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The eephus floats high and drops slowly into the zone. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Doctoring the ball has been banned since 1920. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Holding the ball in the palm kills its speed. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Some put strain on the arm; others take years to learn. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Its spin axis points at the plate, so it breaks very little. (Source: General baseball reference)
- The eephus is the slowest of all. (Source: General baseball reference)
- 1920, 1981 and the 2020s. (Source: General baseball reference)
- A slow, high lob is the eephus. (Source: General baseball reference)

## Test 10: Building a pitch mix

- Variety keeps hitters guessing. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Arsenal means all the pitches a pitcher uses. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Facing a hitter once, a reliever needs fewer looks to keep him off balance. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Pitch mix shows his percentages of each pitch. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Showing something different keeps hitters off balance. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Pitches that tunnel together and split late are hard to read. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Even a seldom-used pitch makes hitters think about it. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Many learn the fastball first, then a change, then a breaking ball. (Source: General baseball reference)
- Starters face hitters several times and need the most variety. (Source: General baseball reference)
- A breakdown of how often he throws each pitch is his pitch mix. (Source: General baseball reference)

Sources: General baseball references, WBSC and league material, coaching manuals; original questions authored, nothing reproduced. Numbered rules belong to the Rules category.

Take the tests: https://insporta.app/try?utm_source=book&utm_medium=referral