Split-finger fastball

A split-finger fastball or splitter, is a pitch in baseball and a variant of the straight fastball. It is named after the technique of putting the index and middle finger on different sides of the ball, or "splitting" them. When thrown hard, it appears to be a fastball to the batter, but suddenly "drops off the table" towards home plate?that is, it suddenly moves down, towards the batter's knees. It was made famous by the closer Bruce Sutter, and thrown today by many pitchers, including Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling.

Related Topics:
Baseball - Bruce Sutter - Roger Clemens - Curt Schilling

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Oakland Athletics right-hander Rich Harden has gained notoriety for his splitter, which features a bizarre knuckling action in midflight. It has been occasionally referred to as the "ghost pitch" and the "spluckle" (a portmanteau of splitter and knuckleball, coined by Harden teammate Adam Melhuse).

Related Topics:
Oakland Athletics - Rich Harden - Portmanteau - Knuckleball

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A related pitch is the forkball, which has more of a tumbling action.

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A split finger fastball is more of a hard breaking pitch than a fastball.

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