British Guy Reacts to Baseball - What is the difference between pitches? And why are there so many?

British Guy Reacts to Baseball - What is the difference between pitches? And why are there so many?
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Original Video - • What is the difference...
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[@psafkow]

I think it was Bob Eucker that once said that the easiest way to catch a knuckleball is to wait for it to stop rolling then go pick it up.

[@marchendrickson2382]

You're exactly right, he was asked by Johnny Carson what the secret was to catching the knuckleball since that was what kept him in the major leagues in spite of a .200 batting average. "Its pretty easy, when it stops rolling, pick it up." BTW, the last name is spelled Uecker... you were closer than most in spelling it right

[@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace]

I pitched in high school and could never figure out how to throw a knuckleball. I had 2 offspeed pitches, curveball, slider, screwball and would experiment with different grips and putting pressure on one finger as I'm releasing the ball to give it a slightly different spin. And I had good control of my pitches. I didn't walk many batters. But I could never throw a knuckleball that would get anywhere near the plate. It's the hardest pitch to master.. as well as the hardest to hit or catch

[@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace]

FUN FACT: Bob Uecker is well known as a horrible major leaguer. He made a comedy career out of it. He hit 14 home runs in his career. 3 of them came off Hall of Fame pitchers. Fergie Jenkins, Gaylord Perry and Sandy Koufax. Uecker OWNED Koufax. He hit over .400 against Koufax for his career. Koufax at the time was in the middle of what is arguably the best 4-5 year stretch of any pitcher in major league history. Many STILL consider him the greatest pitcher who ever lived. And he couldn't get one of the all time worst major league hitters out! Baseball is a beautiful sport for things like that.

[@UnclePengy]

The fast balls are incredibly fast and powerful. In 2001, Diamondback pitcher Randy Johnson threw a fast ball just when a dove happened to fly into the "line of fire". The dove literally exploded in a ball of feathers. You can find videos of that on KZbin. (It was quite unintentional, one of those one-in-a-million things.)

[@nfamus540]

I know I'm late but let me say so many people get the misconception that a fastballs speed comes from arm strength and while arm strength helps you get most of the power from your legs. Too many kids try to overthrow the ball using just their arms and never learn how to use their legs and core to get the most speed possible.

[@drboze6781]

3:43 - Fast ball? Jamie Moyer's had three speeds: Slow, slower, and cartoon. Hitters would look for the heat and get a snowball, a marshmallow or a dandelion seed. It was a thing of beauty.

[@darreljones8645]

I saw a single-panel comic titled "Why some baseball players are picked off more often than others". It showed the players on the field during a baseball game. The pitcher was about to release his pitch, and he was thinking, "Fast ball". The batter was thinking, "Fast ball". The catcher was thinking, "Fast ball". In fact, everyone on the field was thinking, "Fast ball", except for one outfielder, who was thinking, "Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the park..."

[@johanna0131]

This is such a good video. I’m glad you did a reaction to it. I love baseball, but I still don’t know how the announcers know what kind of pitch was thrown. All the different pitches still confuse me. I don’t think there’s anyone throwing knuckleballs right now. If I’m wrong, let me know.

[@Big_Tex]

Although I spent a year or two sucking at Little League, I was an adult before I came to appreciate the change up. Trevor Hoffman was great at this 25 years ago. He’d kick high and go through the motion as if he was about to blast in a 110 mph cannonball. But what came out was a 70 mph floater. The batter’s keyed up for the fastball and SWINGS FOR THE FENCES AND … recovers from the swing, looks around, scratches his balls, then realizes the baseball’s still only halfway to home plate and floating in like a balloon, and everyone’s laughing at him.

[@isaiahpavia-cruz678]

I think it was Zack Greinke that threw an eephus pitch recently

[@Austin_Dale]

To see some awesome pitching, you should check out Jacob Degrom pitching highlights. Without a doubt the best pitcher in baseball right now.

[@jeffburdick869]

Watching Tim Wakefield throw knuckleballs was so much fun to watch.

[@tbarnes10]

Growing up I had a baseball game for the N64 that I played with my brother. The pitcher could choose from these pitches. If you had a pitcher that could throw a knuckle ball it was nearly impossible to get a hit. It was so random and weird

[@Gantzz321]

one thing they didn't talk about with pitching is career length. Most pitcher's arms get worn out really fast because of the fastball, the average is 3.99 years. Knuckle ballers are the exception to the rule because they don't rely on fastballs the way other pitchers do, their arms don't take the same physical damage so they can pitch for much longer as they hinted at with the 19-year career mentioned in the video.

[@inarar5334]

Breaking pitches also contribute. You can't twist your arm like that with that much force and not screw it up over time.

[@kalasmournrex1470]

The thing to know about the ephus is it is a very, very rare pitch. I’ve only seen it thrown once, and it was by a position player pitching in extra innings.

[@sethheasley9538]

They didn't even talk about the screwball, because pitchers have gotten so good at making their change-ups move the same way. The screwball is thought to be more dangerous for the arm.

[@andydurazo5337]

Churve? We used to call it the Slow Curve. Another pitch not mentioned under the breaking type is the Screwball. It breaks opposite the Curveball. Ie. A right handed pitcher would throw a curve that breaks down and to the left. The same right handed pitcher’s Screwball would break down and to the right.

[@davidnicholas7516]

The difficulty with the knuckleball comes not just from the fact that it's unpredictable for the catcher. If there's someone on base, it's much easier to steal bases if a knuckler is on the mound, never mind the catcher muffing a pitch so that the runner can trot to the next base. Also, many knuckleball pitchers only throw that pitch, which means that batters can time the pitches. For whatever reason (I've never heard why, and the video doesn't seem to know either) on occasion the knuckler's pitches don't knuckle, and then it's very easy to time them and hit the cover off them.

[@jartstopsign]

Johan Santana for the Twins that they keep showing had the nastiest circle change I've ever seen. That pitch alone won him the cy young award

[@SilkenShame]

You should check out Foolish Baseball's breakdown of a video called "Not happy JV". It's a breakdown of pitching using modern metrics. There's also a reaction by a guy called Lav Luke, who is a fellow Brit, that you might enjoy since he's learning baseball as well.

[@yetimelly523]

UK and Ireland should really invest in Baseball. Little League, Grade school, and semi pro and pro ball. It's really a great family sport. It's a sport where a player can be the hero in his first game in the majors with a walk off hit or home run. It's a great fan experience as well. Getting the signature on Bball cards, balls, photos, and later It's worth thousands to millions.

[@cricketexplained8526]

Don't know about Ireland, but the English cricket board has made a major investment in a new cricket format desgned to get families in. So I'm not sure baseball is gonna grow anytime soon, but I'm not in touch with it.

[@yetimelly523]

@@cricketexplained8526 Yeah T20

[@cricketexplained8526]

@@yetimelly523 Even newer than that, it's called the Hundred, 100 balls per side. I don't think much of it though. Why a 100 ball and 120 ball format are needed I do not know.

[@yetimelly523]

@@cricketexplained8526 Yeah. I see that. New leagues in UK

[@UnclePengy]

There's a lot of both science and strategy in baseball, and nowhere more than in the pitching. People think it's a slow, boring game, but if you understand it, it becomes a very tense chess-like competition.

[@ticozayas6430]

Used to play baseball- and as a hitter, if you were dailed in you could see the rotation and seems of the ball right at the point of release, so even with that short of a reaction time you could still tell what kind of pitch you were getting... and if you faced the same pitcher several times u'd get better at hitting them with each matchup until you learned thier entire arsenal and variations within said arsenal, getting to the point where you'd be able to predict what they were going to pitch you... the reverse goes as well for pitchers learning the different hitters and what pitches they always go for or how far outside the strike zone they could make a batter chase the ball.

[@jeremysloane3921]

You should purchase MLB the show 21 and go through the road to the show career you would learn so much and it would be content for your channel

[@isaiahpavia-cruz678]

He should definitely go as a starting pitcher. He’d enjoy knuckleballing the heck out of batters!

[@dc07932]

@@isaiahpavia-cruz678 RTTS CAPs can’t learn knuckleballs 😬

[@timkillian1469]

I've always said the best way to learn a sport is to play the video game

[@tjhorne82]

Great game!

[@Jeff_Lichtman]

Even in this video there are pitch types that aren't discussed. The diagrams show the screwball as one type of breaking pitch, but she doesn't mention it. A screwball is a curveball where the sideways part of the curve is in the opposite direction of a curveball. For instance, a curveball thrown by a left-handed pitcher will break down and toward a right-handed batter, while a screwball thrown by a left-handed pitcher will break down and away from a right-handed batter. There have never been many screwball pitchers because it's hard on the arm. Also, a circle-change has a similar motion, so pitchers are more inclined to throw those.

[@pushpak]

10:33 "The knuckleball shot in soccer refers to a ball kicked at very low spin and high pace, which results in the ball producing an unpredictable zigzag trajectory. Due to the unpredictable movement of the ball the knuckling effect is highly troubling for many goalkeepers nd is regarded as one of the most difficult shots to predict in soccer." -biomechanicsofknuckleballblog.

[@BillViets]

I’m from Boston. On a July 4th in 104 degree heat, we went to a Boston Red Sox game and there were two Scots to one side of us and two English people to the other. All had lived in America at one point and fell in love with baseball and its strategy and would come back every summer and sample a different stadium. As an aside, I kept telling one of the Scots to be extra careful as our seats were exactly where very fast foul balls would go if batter was right handed. The next pitch, she got hit on the shoulder by a foul ball. An inning later, she got hit a second time. I bring my baseball mitt (my glove) to games, not to get a souvenir but for self defense.

[@tod3msn]

So much of baseball is talent too. Guys throwing 100 miles per hour are phenomenal.

[@bryantcuriel1641]

You should start playing mlb the show 21 so you can learn more and understand more(it's the closest you get to actually playing baseball and for non baseball players it's the easiest way to learn besides watching the games) you should also post vids/stream it for you can get alot of views out of that

[@jdavis9684]

Yep that was Uecker

[@danbaker300]

In cricket, there seems to be more of a clear separation between "pace bowlers" and "spin bowlers", while a baseball pitcher might specialize in one particular pitch but most starters have at least some variation of fastball, changeup, some sort of breaking pitch, and a fourth that's a variation on one of the others. (Knuckleballers are the odd man out; if you can throw it at all, it's probably your only pitch.) Are there bowlers in cricket who mix it up more? The speed difference between pace and spin seems to be a lot higher in cricket, so I'd imagine it would be awfully difficult to effectively disguise them.

[@lukejohnson6798]

I just graduated high school and was a pitcher for my varsity team all 4 years. For pitchers like me who dont throw as hard, we stick to breaking balls. I throw a curveball and a slider from different arm angles so it moves differently, and its very effective.

[@Darth_Lunas]

I pitched from Little League all the way through college and on. It was my favorite position of any sport I've ever played.

[@johnwray393]

Same but I grew up catching and then started pitching as well. Nothing like it the two positions.

[@brianrigsby7900]

Breaking bats next. Pretty funny

[@jdzeeb]

Also the knuckleball is less strenuous on your shoulder, so it allows pitchers to still play at older ages. RA Dickey retired at age 44 and Tim Wakefield at 45.

[@paulbilger3782]

The older you get the knuckleball gets easier to throw. I play in a senior league (60 years +) and almost all the pitchers will throw a knuckles at some point.

[@jimmyrodela5515]

Hi Beesley, from Palm Bay, Fl 👋 so cool you picked this video. I went to school with Tim Wakefield at Central Jr. High and then Eau Gallie High School 😊 He still lives around here and I see him hanging out at surf contests. He hosts a benefit golf tournament yearly where he matches the money raised ❤

[@Fridge56Vet]

My old man could throw a halfway decent knuckleball back in the day. Strangest thing to see & try to catch - especially if you didn't know it was coming. I could never quite get it right, at least consistently.

[@jimilindley4422]

Yeah catching a knuckle ball is never easy, no matter how much you practice. I use too throw it when someone would roast me during warm ups, hoping too bounce it off a knee cap. I couldn't throw it with any speed so it was harmless but it would get your attention.

[@brockhagen9100]

Excellent video and well done. However, standing in the batter's box will give you an entirely new respect for these pitches - the reason the fastball is the main pitch is when approaching 95+ mph, one must literally swing their bat when the ball leaves the pitcher's hand. That is how fast it is from the batter's perspective. I attended numerous White Sox games when Wilbur Wood was in his prime and he had the most outrageous knuckleball I've seen, he was pitching butterflies not baseballs. Cheers.

[@jasonholmes6137]

Its in the way they hold it with the stiches on the ball and little spit and how they twist the hand crazy

[@robertcollins2052]

Dont forget the mind game of pitch selection verse batter. Number of pitches thrown, what is working that day.... it is sooooo loaded with variables ever day and pitch

[@avshockey6633]

A knuckle ball is the same as when a football (soccer) player kicks the ball with no spin on it, and it changes direction several times on the way to the goal. Really hard for the keeper to track, and in baseball, really hard for the hitter to hit, and for the catcher to catch. You never know exactly where it's going.

[@KalEL224]

Glad you finally got to these. There are a few of them go through and enjoy.

[@lindaeasley5606]

I started following baseball with my favorite team when I was a teenager and I easily picked up on it just by listening to the radio broadcasts of the games .

[@intrepidnick2939]

I think the Eephus pitch is more of "Here you go buddy. The pressure is all on you now." Not only is the pitch slow af, but I think it makes 'em overthink just for a split second. *whiff* Strike three! :P Edit: Yeah, knuckleballers usually have a high ERA which is bad, but for them it's pretty normal because it's always a coin toss. One game they'll pitch 7.1 innings, 1ER with 8SO while the next will be 4.2IP 5ER 1SO. They are fun to watch. :)

[@jameskoralewski1006]

I used to be a pitcher. I mainly threw a fastball and a slider (also called a drop curve). I would throw directly at the batter's head while snapping my wrist and spinning the ball and the ball would drop over the plate at the batter's knees near the outside of the strike zone. It takes a lot of experimenting and practice to learn how to throw a pitch correctly. It takes a while before you get good at it!

[@lewis9702]

A lot of pitchers resort to a knuckleball when they develop arm problems. The knuckleball is the only pitch that doesn't wear out your arm. That's why a successful knuckleball pitcher can stay in Baseball until their upper 30's.

[@David-pf9xe]

Clicked on the video thinking when it said "pitch types" it was going to be a video about the play surface lol.

[@hifijohn]

the knuckleball was named after white sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte .

[@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace]

If all you have is a fastball, the batters have an advantage because they know what pitch is coming every time. These guys WILL catch up to it if it's all you throw. You need secondary pitches to keep the hitter off balance. Even the guys who throw 100mph have offspeed (slower, but to the batter it looks like you're throwing a fastball) and breaking pitches (curveball, slider, screwball)..

[@drewgamezzz8482]

@3:04 essentially a breaking ball n curveball are the same for the most part.

[@hookalakah]

Juan Marichal not only had a withering fastball--he had sixteen different pitches.

[@inarar5334]

The thing with knucklers is that you're right. High risk high reward. If the pitcher isn't right on it, it'll come in with enough spin that it's like a batting practice pitch to the hitter. And if they're on top of it, then you could possibly be dealing with wild pitches at very inopportune times (the video showed the most common one, a dropped strike three. By rule, the batter can attempt to make first base on a dropped third strike). Its really hard to be consistent, which is why it's so rare. If it were easy to be consistent, more would throw it. It'd easier on the arm (hence Wakefield having a 19 year career. Knuckle and junk ballers (catch all term for offspeed and low impact breaking specialists) have much longer careers in general because of less arm strain.

[@danielsmith5088]

You'd be surprised how difficult it is to throw the ball in the 90+ range. Even more difficult is to throw it that fast and be accurate.

[@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace]

There are a few videos on YT about the science of hitting and how it "should" be completely impossible. You should check them out

[@billpickard7848]

Beesley the seams of the ball thats the red stitching helps the pitcher guide the balls movement. Certain fingers can apply pressure points on the ball this helps the ball spin the faster the spin the more a ball rises. Finally grip and release adds to its movement. legs create drive which increases its speed

[@thickerconstrictor9037]

Knuckleballs are so so hard to catch and hit. Most the time knuckleball pitchers are filthy. They can definitely get crushed but the speed is so slow that they can still get away with quite a few mistakes because when these guys are used to hitting 95 mph all the time even a bad knuckleball can still get a pop up or something. Doesn't mean that it will I mean they can still crush it but she made it seem like as soon as you screw up one knuckleball it's gone and it's usually not like that. Plus the knuckleball guys still have a fastball. It's usually in the mid to upper 70s but when you've been seeing 58 to 63 mph and then you see 80, that doesn't seem fast but when you're looking for a knuckleball and you see that it's a different story. I caught for years behind the plate and I didn't play from 17 until 20 years old and I decided to go play in an adult league down the street and there was this kid who had he not screwed up with booze would have been in the minors playing double a and he was only 21 so he was still really young, and he could throw about 93 and he would screw around with a knuckleball that was so fast, he would kill me with it behind the plate and just sit there laughing and I would call time and go out there and say hey stop it haha. He wouldn't throw it too much but if we had a huge lead or if we were getting crushed he would throw them to try to see how hard he could do it and it was one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen in my life cuz I just did not have the glove that I needed for that.

[@clarekorinek8176]

I really enjoy your interest and enthusiasm. Good job making your videos entertaining!

[@jimilindley4422]

You're right on throwing a strike with a knuckle ball. It takes a lot of guts too throw a knuckle ball with 3 balls. Knuckle ball pitchers are very unpredictable, it adds to a nervousness felt by both teams on every pitch.

[@wolver73]

Next time you visit baseball, try Mark Fidrych, a great story.

[@lewis9702]

Major League hitters have .7 seconds(not 7 seconds, but 7/10 of a second), to decide if they're going to swing at a pitch.

[@racerboyjeff362]

Surprised I actually learnt something! Did not now all those pitches were fastballs outside of 2 and 4 seam!

[@alhollywood6486]

You should see if there's a batting cage near you and try hitting a few!

[@Gantzz321]

your fastball would be around 55Mph, which is the middle of the range for a normal person's fastball. It could be much lower depending on how experienced you are at throwing a ball.

[@jimilindley4422]

Are you sure 55mph seems really slow. I grew up playing and 70mph was pretty normal in little league, highschool 75 to 85 was avg. Unless my memories are just way off. Which the older I get the more that might be true

[@frankscarborough1428]

Enjoyed watch baseball once in a while. Learned a lot. Thanks

[@walterlippmann6292]

I'll never not be amazed by knuckleballs

[@FloSchmdt14]

If a guy has a great knuckleball he throws it A LOT (usually almost exclusively) since it’s way less taxing on the arm to throw a 70 mph unhitable knuckler than throwing an equally untouchable 101 4 seam fastball

[@BillViets]

Biggest problems with knuckle ball. It’s almost impossible for the catcher to catch it. Many base runners move up based when they ball is not caught. Also, the ball is so slow base runners can steal bases as the ball takes an extra second to cross the plate until the catcher can get it and throw to the second baseman.

[@ryanw3658]

I love a great fastball but Greg Maddox always blew my mind. He could put the ball exactly where he wanted to every single time. He threw in the 80’s for his fastball iirc but he was insanely good. Check him out.

[@autocross350z]

Adam Wainwright has a nasty curveball

[@magicbrownie1357]

A pitcher needs more than a fastball. They really have to have three solid pitches. If not, they're not going to The Show.

[@christophermckinney3924]

I would like to see you both reacting to this.

[@larredolberg8740]

holding it has to do with the threads stiched on the baseball and aerodynamics in flight.

[@christophermckinney3924]

A perfect game means NO ONE reached first base while he was pitching. 27 batters up and 27 batters went down. No walks, no hits, no passed balls, no errors, no one hit by a pitch. It's better than a no-hitter. In a no hitter, no one gets a hit, but some people can still reach base. There are usually a couple of no hitters per year. But in over 150 years of major league baseball there have only been 23 perfect games.

[@Alex-kd5xc]

If you want to see some of the best pitches being thrown on a daily basis you can follow PitchingNinja on Twitter. He's got some great breakdowns and sometimes even talks directly with players on how they throw their own pitches.

[@chrisjohnson1599]

"Breaking" is a type of pitch, not a pitch itself.

[@jeremysloane3921]

Speed comes from your legs control is developed very early the draft just happened a few days ago they are often drafted at 18/19 years old spend years learning in the minor leagues if you're truly interested you would be surprised to know that you can be drafted twice the first time out of high school if you choose not to sign a professional contract the first time you can go back to college play for 4 years and then be redrafted there are some players that will play multiple sports so sometimes that happens there is a super player I call iron Man Yes after the superhero showhi otani he does both on days he pitches he's still bats and hits 400-ft home runs you need to react to him

[@chapie62]

Baseball is one of the best sports on earth. These guys play 162 games a year with a few single days off every so often, sometimes even play 2 games per day. Also why tf do you have an eclipse pro? Those boards dont last for shit even with slick points....

[@user-rl7cw9eg8e]

I love this video, I've seen it before!

[@bobbykaralfa]

a fast ball is simply that a straight high speed pitch. if it goes in a different direction its not a fastball

[@ChrisGames-ms3ff]

Well each pitch has an attribute but flaws as well. Certain pitches can hurt your arm as well if you are to young

[@cricketexplained8526]

Cricket fan here. I'm a bit of bowling nerd so find this interesting but the terminology is confusing. We just say inswinger or outswinger for the direction of curve. I don't get all the nomenclature and I have NO idea how you'd identify all of these without years of watching.

[@HPSmugscraft]

Is there a certain technique to getting a bowl to move, or do you just yeet it in the batter's direction?

[@cricketexplained8526]

@@HPSmugscraft It's a definite skill. There are plenty of videos on how swinging a cricket ball is achieved. Some bowlers are more gifted and skilled at it than others. One thing that's vital is to keep the seam vertical or just slightly canted throughout the trajectory.

[@wolver73]

Can’t wait to see you in the biggies.

[@djbeezy]

I got hit with the euphis (not sure how to spell it) once in my entire career and got embarrassed lol

[@paladin313]

Tell me if I am wrong, but is there not a version of the knuckleball in cricket called the googly?

[@Mkproduction2]

Want some fun? Get a wiffle ball and bat. Throw Amazing curve balls. Better yet look up ½ rubber. Played with a rubber ball cut in half and a broom handle. The ball is spun up to the hitter, being held in the index finger and thumb. It's thrown like a Frisbie. The ball can "break" 5 or 6 FEET. It starts out behind you and breaks over the plate. It's played with just 3 or 4 players a pitcher, a catcher and a batter. It originated on the Beaches of South Carolina. Easiest way to experience hitting a curve ball.

[@Mkproduction2]

Wiffle ball...damn spellcheck

[@Jeff_Lichtman]

​@@Mkproduction2 FYI, you can edit one of your comments. If you're using a computer, position your mouse on the comment and you will see three dots to the right. If you click on those dots it will bring up a menu where "Edit" is one of the options. I'm not sure how to do it when using a phone, but it's probably something similar.

[@Mkproduction2]

@@Jeff_Lichtman Got it.. Thanks again

[@christophermckinney3924]

Millie should react to this one.

[@matthewbonomo5781]

React to top 10 nastiest pitches in MLB (as voted by players)

[@dansaint2249]

Hey Beesley...awesome stuff man. Keep up the great work. Here are a couple other baseball videos you might want to react to. Will give you some background of 2 of the most dramatic games in the last 15 years. 2011 World Series Game 6: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ame0eoeko7V8hLs and 2016 World Series Game 7: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmKngoeap76Hras If you've done these before, I apologize.

[@alanneel1369]

watch Nolan Ryan highlights

[@NoooootABigDeal]

Dude, you should start playing MBL the show 21! Do a road to the show and some diamond dynasty

[@sgswaney]

Oh, I love a good eephus pitcher. See Casey Fossum .

[@Sandman60077]

That kid that got signed by Oakland was more of just a gimmick. Throwing fast is good, but you need to have consistent accuracy as well. I did a quick search on him and he's floating around low level leagues with an ERA of 13.50 in 4 innings pitched, not good.

[@Peggi109]

Great video.

[@a00141799]

Understanding baseball is complicated Bees. You are misunderstanding many things in this video. For example the knuckleball is not a high risk, high reward pitch. When a pitcher is considered a knuckleballer, he will switch between throwing fastballs, knuckleballs and probably even breaking balls. And no pitcher simply throws the same pitch in the same location time after time. The MLB hitters are much too good and they will get hit after hit. Even if the pitcher does throw the same pitch 2 or 3 times in a row, he will move it up or down in the strike zone, or inside (toward the batter) or (away from the batter) but never in the same spot. Their accuracy has to be impeccable because if they miss their spot and mistakenly throw in that sweet spot for the batter it may end in the seats as a home run. Its too bad that you guys don't have the option of playing baseball as a kid. It is the first team sport that many of us ever participate in. ⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾

[@JKM395]

If you're interested in more detail on how to throw these, click the link below. It will tell you exactly how to throw them and I've used it or something similar to teach both of my boys to pitch. www.thecompletepitcher.com/pitching_grips.htm

[@matthewalmeida3408]

Breaking ball is curve ball. Or slider

[@lewis9702]

5:26 - Actually the A's signed him to a minor league contract. Only Major League players make the big bucks(in addition to highly touted prospects.) Chances are that young man will never make it to the big leagues. A 96MPH pitch is impressive, but if it's straight with no movement the pitch would get crushed by Major League hitters.

[@HPSmugscraft]

Major leaguers could hit a bullet as long as it's in the strike zone.

[@raem.6512]

Try watching some Olympic Softball pro baseball hitters can't even touch it and by they way there is nothing soft about a softball they hurt. A baseball comes from 90feet a soft comes from 60 your reaction time has to be way fast to hit a softball fast ball and they also have change ups, curve balls ext

[@HPSmugscraft]

Plus, a softball is coming at you from an upward trajectory, whereas a baseball is coming downward.

[@gordieparenteau6555]

I have a question: Does cricket have an equivalent of a curveball?

[@briangulley6027]

Yes, but most of the movement comes after the ball hits the ground. The bowler (pitcher) aims for just in front of the batter so the ball scoots by the batter and hits the wicket.

[@gordieparenteau6555]

@@briangulley6027 Good to know. I asked the question as it relates to the phrase "throwing a curveball" being a popular expression for when someone says or does something that takes you by surprise. I was wondering if it meant the same to someone more familiar with cricket than baseball.

[@jamesbond4810]

@@gordieparenteau6555 yes they do. In-swingers, Out-swingers. Tbh there are two types of bowlers/pitchers (for americans) in Cricket. One is the seamer (fast bowlers) and the other one is spinner (bowls/pitches slow but turns the tragectory of the ball a lot).

[@jamesbond4810]

@@gordieparenteau6555 A seamer/fast bowler pitches balls like in-swingers, Out-swingers, Yorkers (balls aimed at your legs/toes), bouncers (balls aimed at your heads), knuckleballs and yes it's completely legal to aim at the batter's body in cricket, no automatic walk-off/run like you guys have in baseball (I mean those pads are for a reason). A spinner pitches balls like leg-cutter, off-cutter, googly, doosra, honestly there are so many some are not even named.

[@jamesbond4810]

@@gordieparenteau6555 Here's a video link for spin bowling kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6CylYdudqtrrLc and here's a link for pace bowling - kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKq9iXapZ716eK8 and here's a link for Yorkers - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGHCkqymq9mKbrs .

[@pokeygorilla9368]

Sorry as a pitcher for 11 years, the great difference in speed between a fastball and change up does not make it better. It's how much you make a change up look like a fastball that makes it work. Maybe 10 mph difference is ideal I'd say. hard to watch videos "explaining" the sport with not really understanding the sport.

[@BrooklynBeTheBoro]

Funny story involving Tim Wakefield: in 2006 I worked as a parking valet at a busy Midtown Manhattan garage. One afternoon a guy pulls in to park and when he gets out of the car I immediately recognize that it's Tim Wakefield. Says he's only going to be a few hours. After he walks out I go over and tell my 3 co-workers that it's Wakefield. None of us had gotten over the 2004 ALCS. We all refused to park his car. Wouldn't even get into it in order to move it away from the garage entrance. We made customers that came in after him drive around his car. It actually sat there unlocked with the keys in the ignition for 4 hours until he came back. We even made him do a u-turn on the main floor in order to exit the garage. That's how much we hated him in NYC!

[@hurricane1951]

It's not second nature at all. You're watching the elite pitchers in the world and they DO make it look easy. Also, unless you've seen a live MLB game, you have no idea how fast these pitches are. You can barely see a fastball if you are looking from the side. TV's 2D view really distorts reality.

[@gabrspanksmen]

React to the final pitch of every perfect game in MLB history. There’s a couple vids of it, this one has more length on the pitcher’s reactions so I recommend it most kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoO7paWBipmDadE