Forkball

The forkball is a type of pitch in baseball. Related to the split-fingered fastball, the forkball is held between the first two fingers and thrown hard without snapping the wrist. The forkball differs from the split-fingered fastball, however, in that the ball is jammed deeper between the first two fingers.

Related Topics:
Pitch - Baseball - Split-fingered fastball

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When released, the forkball, a "poor man's knuckleball" has little spin, causing it to "tumble" down through the strike zone. It can be thrown as hard as 90 mi/h (145 km/h), so it can look like a fastball until it breaks near the plate.

Related Topics:
Knuckleball - Strike zone - Plate

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This is as opposed to the splitter, which "drops off the table" (that is, it suddenly moves down, towards the batter's knees) without any of the knuckle-like tumbling action of the slower, less-spin forkball.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The forkball is favored by several Japanese pitchers. Hideo Nomo of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays features a particularly good forkball in his repertoire. Jose Contreras is another well known forkballer.

Related Topics:
Hideo Nomo - Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Jose Contreras

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~