How to identify baseball pitches

If you've ever wanted to identify baseball pitches by just watching them on TV, this video is for you. That's right. A whole video just about how to identify pitches that you see when you watch baseball games on TV. Have you ever said "what pitch is that?"
Identifying pitches becomes relatively easy once you start paying attention to the velocity and movement of each pitch, and becomes even easier once you start to know which pitches various pitchers throw.
This video will also help if you've ever had these questions:
What is a four seam fastball? What does a four seam fastball look like?
What is a two seam fastball? What does a two seam fastball look like?
What is a sinker? What does a sinker look like?
Is a sinker the same thing as a two seam fastball?
What is a curveball? What is a slider? What is a breaking ball? What is a splitter? What is a cutter?
What is a knuckleball? What does a slider look like? What does a cutter look like?
Hope this video is helpful! This is the first video on this channel. Let me know what you think!

[@ballybunion9]

I've been watching baseball for 40 years and this video is literally ... _LITERALLY_ ... the very first time I've heard anyone explain how to identify all the pitches. I've driven myself half-insane doing the research trying to find all this knowledge in one place, and always came away convinced absolutely nobody knows for sure the differences between pitches. My sincerest thanks and appreciation for making this video, Sports Explained. You've got yourself another subscriber.

[@rickrobitaille8809]

Awesome me too😀🇨🇦

[@barowt]

Couldn't have said it better!

[@Bselman]

40 years and you couldn't pick a lot of this up yourself? As a mets fan, I am spoiled by the high level of analysis by the broadcasters. There's a reason Ron Darling wins awards.

[@jarradmccarthy9033]

Its not that hard, lol

[@ballybunion9]

@@jarradmccarthy9033 157 thumbs up in 6 days suggests it is.

[@TheJimbo128]

After 30+ years of watching baseball it still completely blows my mind that any human is able to hit major league pitching, ever.

[@kendrahwhyte9960]

I think the difficulty arises because practically everyone is uppercuting with their swing!

[@jrviade85]

errrrrrrr stupid!

[@seanbrennan9016]

@@kendrahwhyte9960 very wrong

[@CameronCajun]

Ain't that the damn truth!?! The ball movement can appear to occur so late in the pitch (path towards hitter), that you'd swear the batter MUST be guessing ahead!

[@hubertsang7418]

Remember the saying: "the backboard and the rim do not move" That is why Michael Jordan could not make it in baseball.

[@eightinches6094]

The only thing lacking in this video was showing how each pitch is gripped.

[@georgefloydspaceshuttlepro1839]

Exactly and a quick animation on how it's released towards home

[@GarldBonkdonk]

That would be interesting info for pitchers, but not helpful identifying the pitch for observers/fans. We can't see the grip in real time (for good reason) so it wouldn't really fit here.

[@CanadaMMA]

@@GarldBonkdonk I disagree. Picking up the grip a pitcher is holding the ball with is one of the ways batters identify what pitch is coming. By setting your eyes at roughly where you think the pitcher will release the ball, you can see how they are holding it as they throw it. I can see how that information would be very useful to viewers at home who are trying to identify the pitch. Especially because it's easier to see the grip from behind, vs from the front.

[@CertifiedPG]

@@GarldBonkdonk You can 100% pick up pitch grips in real time especially if the pitcher doesn’t hide the ball

[@spjr99]

it varies greatly between every pitcher.

[@lynnturman8157]

Thanks. I'm a centerfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals & this will help a lot.

[@royyark2896]

😂

[@0thers1d3]

😆😆😆😆

[@prisonmike4126]

I'm a center for the Boston Celtics and this didn't help out at all :(. I'm starting to think this video isn't even about basketball!

[@ScotchIrishTarheel]

I’m the ghost of Ted Williams and I could identify every pitch in utero.

[@TheWeekndGaming]

@@prisonmike4126 i’m a shooting guard for the toronto raptors im chilling in cancun rn

[@don_brodka]

I've been watching baseball since I was born and this is a great starter for anyone getting into the sport. Gonna send this to a few friends i'm trying to rope in!

[@Rager_U]

Agreed. I've been an MLB fan for 50+ years (although more at some points than others). This is a GREAT primer.

[@warrenpuckett4203]

When I was a young pup I threw a knuckle ball. I tossed it at center of the plate and belt high. It never arrived where I was aiming it. The catchers hated it. I can understand why. It just floated off into random directions. I guess at major league level swings and misses at constant slow moving pitches don't sell tickets any more. The game high light always is the fastball that got blasted into the seats.

[@garycitro1674]

What he said!

[@escott1981]

@@warrenpuckett4203 I've never thrown a knuckleball but I've heard they are very hard to throw properly and if you don't do it right then they are extremely easy for a major leaguer to hit.

[@jrviade85]

“since I was born” lmao any more lies clown boy?

[@dalasnah1842]

I can understand this better than the one at MLB channel, thankyou dude

[@SportsExplained]

Thanks 😀

[@SportsExplained]

​@SMA Productions Thx for the feedback. I left that out on purpose. I'm not a pitcher or a pitching coach, and this is not intended as an instructional video by any means. Plus, there's a good amount of variety and personalization in terms of how MLB pitchers grip the various pitches and I didn't want to wade into all that with this video. Best to leave that stuff to people who are experts in it. There are tons of videos out there where actual pitchers and pitching coaches show you how to grip the various pitches, and it's easy to find! Pitching Ninja interviews are a great place to start if you're interested in knowing more about how MLB players grip their pitches.

[@chamberofprogress5025]

The Knuckleball is quite possibly the toughest pitch to throw. One thing that makes it so challenging is the fact that, aside from the Palmball, it is one of the only pitches that is at its most effective when it has virtually no spin on it and 99% of pitches have some type of spin to them.

[@bluesky7333]

The splitter has limited spin, and the fork ball has a little more. Any pitch with limited spin or erratic spin will cause a tumbling / drop movement.

[@jamesanthony5681]

Yes, it's tough to throw and almost as tough to catch. Many catchers hated it, including Johnny Bench.

[@littledickydolittle3071]

The screwgy is tougher to throw

[@tedmccauley9319]

Threw knuckleballs for years, it can move very unpredictably but sometimes it just wont move at all, most of the time it had no spin at all, but a simple halfturn in the air often brought crazy results, but its very hard to throw it that way consistently.

[@stacyshedd3140]

The first pitch i learned to throw really good besides a fastball was a knuckleball and almost every time it had almost no spin so i disagree👌

[@BogWraith1]

I'm 62 years old and have been watching baseball since I was 8! I do know most of the pitches when I see them, but I've always had a tough time with the Slider and the Cutter. You're video is outstanding, in all facets, and I would rate this as a VITAL must see for anyone who has always been curious or befuddled by what they see these master craftsman hurl when standing on a major league mound. Thank you for this, it's very much appreciated and I will be sending many of my friends as well as others to view this much needed presentation!

[@SportsExplained]

Awesome!! Thank you for the kind words.

[@richardwestmoreland4796]

@Bobb Grimley thanks for the semantics lesson, but I suspect that most people reading the comments are more interested in the content or the gist of the comment made.

[@bluesky7333]

Easiest way to tell them apart is that a cutter has a continuous arc from hand to catchers glove and the slider is straight and then has quick late breaking pitch movement at end. In today's game very few people throw true sliders. They are very hard on the elbow. The cutter is very popular in todays game.

[@knep24]

Baseball nut here that already knew how to identify pitches. A good sequel to this video would be describing situational use of each pitch. Why 4-seamers are thrown up in the zone, why pitchers throw curves in the dirt, pitch tunneling, why righties throw breaking balls to righties, and offspeed to lefties. Would be a good introduction to how to think through an at bat. The best piece of baseball that most people miss is the mental battle between hitter and pitcher.

[@mobydick3895]

If you are up to the challenge to throw any type of pitch with full count, you have an edge. You don't want to be a guy who only throws one type of pitch on full count. Once a batter knows what you are gonna throw, you are toast.

[@danacoleman4007]

Great suggestion!

[@nofurtherwest3474]

Hi my kid is 9. He is the most accurate pitcher on his team so he's been pitching quite a bit. He throws side arm which is yeah kinda weird, but he won't listen to me, so I'm just letting him do his thing and just trying to get him comfortable with his form and grip and stuff. If he is comfortable with his main pitch, should he add another? Or just keep one at this age? He can throw fast for his age but his normal sidearm pitch is slow, maybe 33-38mph. But he could throw what would be fast for this age, say 45mph... should he do that and call that his fast ball?

[@davidziff2591]

We got what you're telling us. You know baseball.

[@avail2114]

⁠@breadandcircuses8127hey I know I’m a year late but I’m an ex College pitcher who had some minimal draft interest , who through a sinker/slider curve split mix so maybe I’m qualified. I’m a lefty and was used in college and international play mostly as a high leverage pitcher. When a good sinker slider pitcher is pitching they want to attack based on the handedness of the hitter I’m just going to default to a lefty pitcher since that’s what I am. When working against lefties you want to jam them with your sinker and get them to lunge at the slider. You can also use the sinker as sort of a roll over pitch in the bottom third of the zone with men on base to induce a DP ball. With righties it’s a bit more tricky. Because you still have the inner third available to let the sinker run back onto the plate and you can use the slider as a get me over strike on the outer third in a minus count. I like to be aggressive against righties and try to work north south sinker up and in and slider low then a split in the dirt to try to get them fishing. At its core the sinker slider mix is sort of like two pitches that look similar out of the hand but one is spinning way more than the other and you have to figure out which is which and where it’s going. And it almost forces the hitter to guess between the two if they can’t read spin. Coupled with a third good pitch it’s a lethal combo.

[@givecamichips]

The part that really surprised me was sinkers and two-seamers being basically the same. I always thought of a sinker as a splitter with a bit more sideways break, i.e. an off speed pitch. But it makes sense.

[@luvmenow33]

Same here that shocked me

[@michaelmagic988]

probably because youve never swung a bat in your life buttlicker

[@bluesky7333]

A two seamer and sinker are one in the same because they are held and thrown the same. Two names for same pitch. What makes one pitchers movement different than the other is release point, velocity and spin rate.

[@tigerburn81]

What surprised me was the claim that 4-seam fastballs are more commonly thrown than 2-seam. I thought that was only true with high velocity closers.

[@knep24]

​@tigerburn81 it's changed over recent years. Up until about 2014, your statement would be correct, then the launch angle guys came up. The idea that having a larger uppercut in the swing gave way to hitters punishing pitches low in the zone, but leaving a hole in the top of the zone for 4-seam pitchers to exploit.

[@jeremymccommons7741]

8:20 Two active major league pitchers throw Screwballs, Brent Honeywell Jr. of the Athletics, and Devin Williams of the Brewers. Williams calls his a Changeup, but the pitch moves more like a screwball, and is thrown like a screwball, thus it is a Screwball. Unlike what the video says, a Screwball acts more like a backwards curveball. They move at the speed of curveballs, move much further downward than a slider, and move laterally about as much as a curveball, though no where near as much as a slider.

[@ThanksWinry]

To add, screwballs move in the opposite direction of typical breaking action and require the pitcher to grip and throw the pitch almost sorta inside out, it isn't very common anymore 'cause it absolutely destroys your elbow because of how unnatural the action is.

[@greendayfan4519]

Hector Santiago would occasionally throw out a screwball and some people say Nabil Crismatt does too but I havent seen him pitch

[@joshconnell8797]

Williams moves like a lefty slider. He gripes it like a change up to and it’s his arm angle that makes it break like it does so it’s not a screwball. Watch his interview with pitching ninja

[@jeremymccommons7741]

@@joshconnell8797 Most people who have thrown Screwballs got their movement primarily from that weird arm angle. Grip isn't what makes a pitch be labeled a certain type, movement does. He also gets more horizontal movement on his changeup than any lefty in baseball does in their slider

[@joshconnell8797]

@@jeremymccommons7741 ya and like you said a screwball is like a backward curveball. His pitch is in a league of his own. Also does he really get more horizontal movement than people like sale and kershaw?

[@chriskay3058]

I've always wondered how the guys calling the game can tell a pitch. Great video in that respect. Might have been interesting to show how a pitcher would hold each one of these pitches (other than the splitter) .

[@hoanpham4545]

They have little monitors in the booth and they use the same methods we use. Speed, movements, etc.

[@NealB123]

They guess a lot. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're not.

[@Falllll]

Boatloads of experience and familiarity with the home team's pitchers helps a lot.

[@samweller96]

They'll often pull up the pitcher's arsenal in their notes for reference, though even experienced broadcasters will get it wrong a lot

[@surfwriter8461]

@@samweller96 I think you're right about broadcasters who are not former pitchers, but even those include many who have been doing broadcasts for many years accompanied by a color commentator who has helped them identify pitches so that now they're more reliably right. But take a former MLB pitcher like Mark Gubicza, who is on the Angels broadcasts. He knows a pitch when he sees it, most of the time, and at other times he will say he's not sure if it's this or that because of the unusual qualities of the pitch. When he talks about Ohtani's pitches, for example, he seems to have a good grasp of the pitch used and also helps viewers understand the thinking of the pitcher and the characteristics of Ohtani's pitch versus someone else throwing the same pitch. But a splitter doesn't always behave the same way, and he explains why it might not be doing what the pitcher intended--a splitter thrown where Ohtani doesn't stay on top of the pitch as he throws it, for example, might flatten out, fail to drop, veer off to one side, etc.

[@upthefknkiwiz6532]

I’ve literally just got in to watching mlb and always wondered how some of the commentators could identify a pitch. Thanks for the pointers bro, absolutely loving baseball, if only it was as big as rugby on this side of the world

[@johnnyreno7200]

Me too man...I'm 62..American...just getting into baseball...I love it...can't believe I missed out on so much...oh well..better late than never

[@c.shannon3914]

I've been watching baseball my whole life, and despite people saying that it's boring(their wrong 😠) the game within the game of pitching is beautiful. Its like a chess match every pitch every at bat. And every batter is different so its quite the mind game

[@nascarmadman]

Before the radar gun info became avail, they would make educated guesses based on velocity and movement. Some of these 'specialty' fastballs that we have today either didn't exist until recently or weren't identified as such. It was just fastball, curve and change (up). I kinda wish, though, that this vid would have exposited the grips as well.

[@mikeholt1248]

I’ve watched MLB for over 60 years, I’m not bragging, I’m just old! And yes it took me a while to determine the difference between the various pitches. But once you are consistently recognizing all the different pitches then the game takes on new dimensions. You will then start really noticing the pitchers who are master craftsmen at the various pitches, and when one of them executes their pitch and strikes the batter out to end the inning then you fall right out of your seat & shout “ Oh MAN what a pitch”!!! Great examples of great pitches are Pedro Martinez : two or three different fastballs, pinpoint control curveball and unhitable circle changeup. Sandy Koufax had an otherworldly fastball and a curveball that dropped a foot as if rolling off a table. In their prime, they are the best two I’ve ever seen, and recognizing and appreciating the pitches they mastered made it all the sweeter!!

[@mobydick3895]

As a Little Leaguer I probably pitched 20 0r 30 complete games. Believe me, the whole game of baseball, once you recognize it, is about the drama of the pitcher vs the batter. Plus there are subtleties often overlooked, such as when a pitcher purposely walks a dangerously good batter, but he does it in such a way that fools his own coach as well as the entire opposing team. When Reggie Jackson hit three homers in one game, believe me, the pitchers made some serious mistakes.

[@LKaramazov]

All the decades I was a baseball fan from the 70s to the end of the Jeter Yankees, I always thought those guys were making it up as they go, and just calling pitches as they felt like.I could never understand how they could tell from the box way up back d the plate. Thanks for this video!

[@garrytreymendeziii5650]

Good stuff. I’m an American living in Europe so I’m constantly trying to spread the game to people who didn’t grow up with it. This is one of the things I talk about with newbies because pitch selection and, for the hitter, pitch anticipation are the game within the game that is going on all the time. I’ll be pointing them to this vid. One thing I would add, for newbies, watching where the catcher sets up. That is a big way I cheat to see what’s coming from a pitcher and it’s easy for newbies to see and understand when watching a game.

[@GGdeTOURS37]

I'm European and watching baseball for a long time but even after this video it's stil very hard to recognize the pitches! I use to only thing Fastball (when straight) and Curveball (when going down). For the rest: Much too fast and similar (even after this video)! I've much less problem to recognize a cover 3 or a zone blitz in American football LOL!

[@jayschafer1760]

@@GGdeTOURS37 @Sports Explained , to his point, I'd love to see a few videos on identifying defensive schemes, offensive formations, and more in American football. It's often tough for me to figure those out before the snap.

[@SportsExplained]

I'm working on some NFL videos now. Here is the first one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKXShIaLjt6Co5o

[@skippythealien9627]

@@GGdeTOURS37 hey man credit to you for trying! i've been watching baseball since 1996 and i can barely recognize anything that's not a pure heater going at 96 mph (154-155 kmh)

[@astrostar49]

As someone trying to get into the game, this is a godsend. Thanks. I've always strayed off from baseball for years, and years partly due to never being able to identify the pitches thrown in games. Thank you so much for making this video. I'll be coming back to it every so often in the future even when I get better at identifying pitches.

[@Andrew-wb2zq]

High definition broadcasts, velocity tracking and Pitching Savant have made it a heck of a lot easier than it used to be. Another interesting thing to pay attention to is where the catcher initially sets up to receive the ball and how close the pitch actually gets to that spot. Useful to see how a guy's command is that day.

[@astrostar49]

@@Andrew-wb2zq Ok dynamite. Thanks for the advice :)

[@subg8858]

You’ll never make it in baseball starting at your age!

[@benprest3354]

Great explainer - now watching the NLCS with baseball savant open to see which pitches to expect and feel like I finally get it. More please!

[@rhetarae]

Great video and explanation . First time I’ve seen a full explanation. Hard to learn from just announcers! Thanks

[@mercerconsulting9728]

All these years I've never really understood the subtle differences between all these pitches. Finally, a video that explains it in a way that I can grasp (no pun intended). THANK YOU for this.

[@nawafnasser573]

One of the best, if not the best, baseball guide videos I've ever watched! I am relatively new to the sport so it is only natural that I struggled with recognizing pitches at first. Viewing this video multiple times allowed me to develop a decent understanding of what each pitch is like and what it's good for. I will continue to use this excellent reference for years to come.

[@SportsExplained]

Awesome. Thanks!

[@jayschafer1760]

Such a great overview, thanks. I'm not even a big fan of baseball but this clears up a lot for me. Wish I'd seen this video years ago.

[@John_Notmylastname]

Of of the pitches I’ve seen there is nothing prettier than a beautifully placed curveball. The old fashioned 12-6. So good.

[@CuriousJet]

Been watching baseball on and off since the late 1990’s but I never fully understood how to identify pitches until watching your video, thank you! 🙏

[@angelchaidez3584]

Thank you for this, really taught me to watch baseball more in depth

[@victorzhao583]

Thank you KZbin Algorithm that lead me to this amazing video - I have been searching for a video/tutorial about different kinds of pitches, and here we are! Hope to see more content from this channel, and I am already seeing this channel grow to 1M subscribers! Keep up with the good work!

[@payinCAD]

I remember, when i was getting into baseball, i looked up the different kinds of pitches online. I genuinely couldn’t find anything, never mind something this detailed. What an extraordinary video. Thank you so much for this.

[@SportsExplained]

thank you!

[@MisterWeatherby]

Excellent video. Watching these guys throw great two seamers, sliders, and forkballs brought back a flood of memories. They really are the glory days that have passed me by.

[@betterinsodapop]

This was excellent. I have always wondered how people identify the different pitches. Definitely going to start using Baseball Savant for reference.

[@kdotrukon]

This is a great video, and I hope you can do a lot more in this style! I have a lot of friends who want to get into watching sports, but don't really know the ins and outs of all the details. Looking forward to seeing what else you put out.

[@c.shannon3914]

Great video, very informative without being boring and overly explaining everything. Simple, concise and to the point. Great job

[@givecamichips]

I like it when video games give you tons of nuances in the pitches so you can cover a nice continuum of break angles with a cutter, slider, slurve, curveball, and 12-6 curve. If they include that many variants, that tends to be the order from most horizontal break to most vertical. And the Create-a-Player classic, the Knuckleball/Screwball/Eephus arsenal.

[@UMAmherst1]

Thank you. Great content with excellent narration and superb accompanied visuals to demonstrate each pitch’s movement. My only constructive feedback is that adding a visual highlighting each pitch’s typical hand grip like you demonstrated with the cutter would add even more value to what is already outstanding content for veteran and casual baseball fans.

[@richardwestmoreland4796]

The grip and how the ball is released from the fingers would be helpful in understanding the different pitches. Different pitchers can grip the ball the same way but get different movement on the ball by the way that it is released.

[@tigersfan61979]

I've been watching baseball for close to 40 years, and this is the best explanation I've ever seen. I've heard professional baseball coaches who weren't able to explain it this well, so thank you. Also, the production value on this video is outstanding, especially for a first video on a channel. Please please please tell me there are more videos coming down the pipe.

[@SportsExplained]

Wow, thanks! Yep! Working on one now.

[@tigersfan61979]

@@SportsExplained Are you taking suggestions/ideas for future videos?

[@SportsExplained]

@@tigersfan61979 sure

[@tigersfan61979]

@@SportsExplained The baseball rule I always have trouble explaining to folks is balks. I'd love to see something like this video showing what balks are.

[@robote7679]

Thanks so much for this clear, lucid, very well demo'd video. I'm still kinda overwelmed but your video offered the best insights I've ever had. Thanks again.

[@wadaapxD]

I just love the fact that this channel exists in the first place. I am intrigued by the intricacies of sports!

[@JDTeevee]

Great explanation, best and most accurate part was how this whole thing is a spectrum. One pitchers curve is another pitchers slider, it's all dependant on the pitchers grip and their mechanics/release. Would have loved a part about the typical grips and release technique used to create these pitches as you can tell a lot about what pitch the pitcher is trying to throw by their arm and hand at release. Will be sending this vid to people trying to understand baseball a little bit more.

[@SportsExplained]

Yea man! Thanks. I debated putting grips and mechanics in this video, but I didn't want it to be confused for an instructional video. I'm not a pitcher or a pitching coach so that seemed like something to leave to the experts. Have you watched the Pitching Ninja interviews?

[@kenotbgood1968]

When I was 11 to 123 back in the early 1980's, I threw a knuckle-curve, this pitch was started high & inside to low & outside, to a right handed batter!

[@PaperyPip]

Checking up on this video once every little while during baseball season really helps

[@aceesaboluffy]

I just started watched and invested on baseball since last year and all I can do was just recognized the fastball 😂 I always thought abt looking for a video or anything that can explain how to identify every pitchs and gladly I found this video! Thank you so much, it helps a lot! Hope I can start to recognize every pitches in this year season and being an expert in baseball thingy. 🙌🏻

[@toaster567]

I've searched for a video like this in years past! Glad it finally exists. Thank you!

[@willwiegelman3953]

I'm calling baseball for my college station and this is SUPER helpful

[@SportsExplained]

Awesome, thanks!

[@nascarmadman]

Oddly, the screwball (last player I remember throwing was Valenzuela) has a more natural arm action than it's opposites, the curve or slider. Last well known players to throw the knuckler would be Tim Wakefield, RA Dickey and Charlie Hough. The latter's catcher with LA, Steve Yeager, developed a special catcher's mitt - it was more or less twice the size of the standard mitt. Vin Scully dubbed it the 'waffle mitt'. Problem was it was difficult to find the ball. SO when a runner tried to steal, Yeager had the double whammy of a much slower pitch and the big mitt. It wasn't a matter of 'trying' to steal anymore unless the runner fell down.

[@dontknowdocare]

Really helpful video! Now I'm going to pay much more attention to velocity when trying to figure out pitch types.

[@tristramcoffin926]

I think the last pitcher to throw a screwball was Hector Santiago for the Angels. Screwballs have a bad habit of injuring pitching arms, especially at current velocity, which is why they've largely disappeared from the game. I always loved seeing the movement on them growing up, though.

[@mhunterledoux]

wasn't it disproven that it injures people? Pronation is safer for your arm than the normal supinated flick of normal breaking pitches. People just stopped using it because it lowk sucked and didn't break enough to be worth using against high level opponents that have scouting reports

[@subg8858]

When I think screwball I think John Franco and that dude was filthy

[@subg8858]

Actually a lot of nasty pitchers like Pedro and Valenzuela. Yeah I don’t think it was because it was ineffective that it disappeared

[@Fools_Requiem]

My understanding is that was disproven.

[@karlmadsen3179]

This was helpful beyond all praise. Well done!!!!!

[@Avinash_105]

Thank you so much for this video, I can't put in words how great this video is for someone like me who has recently started watching/following baseball Hoping to see more and frequent videos from you soon , cheers ❤️

[@MrTednova]

The "sweeper" is also a pitch that has caught on recently. More horizontal movement and less vertical movement than a typical slider

[@thetommoody]

Great, great video...AND it differs immensely when watching a game live. Trying to differentiate breaking balls at a live game was virtually impossible for me...the only help was the radar gun readout on the scoreboard. And as far as fastballs were concerned, I was NEVER able to discern between a two-seam or four-seam. This very instructional broadcast will definitely help me in the future...I'm saving it as one of my favorites right now!

[@mrletsplayit]

If you continue with videos of this quality and effort level you are guaranteed tens of thousands of subscribers

[@bigtonytwoshoes8184]

Really solid video. Growing up with baseball it’s easy to forget a lot of people didn’t learn in depths of pitching. I bet this is going to help a lot of people

[@Zerbey]

One of the best videos I've seen explaining all the pitches, I'll be saving this to send to new baseball fans. I think the only pitch you didn't mention was the knuckle curve, but it's just another type of curveball (we miss you Moose). The knuckleball requires an article all on its own I think!

[@DJRockKpop]

Great video! I followed baseball a lot more this season because of MLB the show’s transition to Xbox and I’m super pumped to watch more games next season because of this vid now

[@ridesharebiz5317]

This is the presentation I was looking for. Always wanted to know how you can tell the different types of pitches on TV. Great stuff. The screwball looked like TV bar codes. I know Tug McGraw had a nasty screwball.

[@NealB123]

The screwball is still a popular pitch in fastpitch softball. But it doesn't generate enough sideways movement with the smaller baseball and has been abandoned in baseball.

[@1sttvbn]

😂

[@neilrawlins8108]

Fernando Valenzuela had best screwball

[@sntslilhlpr6601]

@@NealB123 It's also nowhere near as dangerous to the pitcher's elbow when thrown underhand so that helps a lot with its popularity.

[@BKaye-oz3xd]

I have read dozen of books about baseball, also watching tens if not hundreds videos, by far this is the best Thanks to whoever made it,God bless you, I’m enjoying baseball even more

[@danielolsen8114]

THIS VIDEO IS FANTASTIC! It's so informative, helpful, and easy to understand. Well done!

[@jackoff1826]

Good video, should hands included a pitch that I used to enjoy to throw, a variant on the change-up is the circle change-up. Always good to throw something breaks the opposite direction as your other pitches

[@taputechnic]

There must be stock footage of Fernando Valenzuela or Carl Hubbell throwing a screwball somewhere on the Internet.

[@timothycharlton]

I am a lifelong baseball fan with good knowledge. And I thought this was fantastic. Bravo

[@megsley]

my favorites are the eephus and knuckleball - just really neat looking and so different!

[@2xNoodle]

Probably the best pitch type video out there!

[@hoanpham4545]

It's a good for people being introduced to baseball. There are tons of videos out there about the specifics of pitch design, pitch grip, and arm slot. Simply, if you grip the ball like it's shown will not get you the movement you see or want. There's more to it.

[@matrixphijr]

I'll be honest: I thought after Velocity and Movement, #3 was going to be something like 'Situation/Usage'. For example, it can help someone new to baseball in differentiating, say, a cutter from a slider to know that if the pitcher throws three of them in a row, or throws it very often throughout the course of a game (i.e. as a main pitch), it's probably not a slider.

[@bluesky7333]

Not sure that is the most clear cut way of differentiating a slider and cutter. Nobody wants to throw 3 of the same pitches in a row. Simply put, a cutter has a continuous arc and the slider doesn't.

[@AddisonHunt_04]

Amazingly helpful video! I appreciated how simple you kept things and how you provided multiple examples of each pitch. Thanks so much and I just subscribed. Very nice!

[@christophersummers1939]

this is the video i'd always meant to look up but never did, and it finally pops up in my recommendations. thank you! _and_ subbed!

[@edrudolph1]

Thanks for the video. This was the explanation I’ve been looking for

[@SportsExplained]

Glad to hear it!

[@herminionz]

Great video man! This will get so many views. Cheers to you and your content making abilities :)

[@ParryTarot]

I've been watching baseball all my life and this video finally explained it all. I've been calling them all day after one viewing. Great video. Should be saved for future generations.

[@SportsExplained]

Yeah!

[@bennettmosher]

This is a really good explanation. I would add that it helps a lot to watch how the hitter reacts. Before they put the velocity on screen, this was basically the only way to recognize a changeup.

[@bluesky7333]

There is a clock in my head for the time it takes for ball to get to the plate. When one watches enough baseball or has coached it long enough it is easy to tell without looking at the hitter. Besides the velocity difference, a change will typically have exaggerated movement of their sinker or a downward movement caused by gravity.

[@Leofish9]

The SCREWBALL was the signature pitch of Fernando Valenzuela, of whom there are many archival recordings.

[@anandante2576]

this video deserve more views

[@evandillon5339]

Great vid, I’d love to see this done again adding in the sweeper and maybe some overlaid pitches to help drive points home.

[@escott1981]

Fantastic video!! It does a great job of explaining how each pitch moves and how to ID it. Everyone who is interested in baseball should watch this as at least a refresher if nothing else.

[@SportsExplained]

Thanks!

[@SeedRamples]

This was a great video! It should have one hundred thousand views rather than just one hundred :)

[@CI-2010]

This video is so good. How do you not have tons of subs?

[@AppleGuy256]

It’s his only video on the channel so far lol

[@CI-2010]

@@AppleGuy256 true

[@offroad5798]

Thank you for getting straight to the point instead of some long intro 👌🏼

[@stephenwalters1061]

Great video! Finally able to differentiate between pitches while watching games!

[@romiarkan450]

I've been watching this high school baseball anime in which the MC is a control pitcher who doesn't have a "real" fastball but also throws a sinker. Other than that, he has a slider, a curveball, and a shuuto. After watching this, I'd like to think that "fastball" is supposedly a changeup because it arrives slower than actual fastballs (something that other characters most notably the catcher and the coach point out) but nobody calls it that cause changeups aren't that common in Japan.

[@tokyohunter1119]

Ace of Diamond?

[@romiarkan450]

@@tokyohunter1119 it's Big Windup (Ookiku Furikabutte)

[@josenajarro7046]

@@romiarkan450 after you finish the second season go straight into the manga. It’s amazing

[@sntslilhlpr6601]

When I saw this in my recommend I knew I wouldn't learn a single thing, but I was curious how well the vid was done. Definitely the best explanation I've ever seen. Impressive stuff. Edit: Wow this is your first vid? Under 700 subs? Well, here's another.

[@nja3224]

Very helpful, great video. I never knew about glove side vs throwing side as a tool for some pitch identification.

[@CubaDugout]

I recently tried to give a real life tutorial to a life long rugby player who is now showing interest in baseball. I can say I was fairly accurate but this is a great breakdown and I will likely have to go back and watch it again.

[@funtimelouie1828]

Dodgers Fernando Valenzuelas Screwball made him a successful pitcher

[@erickvilla4194]

Thank you for this video. Make more about baseball like explaining WAR statistics or slugging percentage.

[@SportsExplained]

Yep! That video is coming.

[@jefftrainer9480]

Excellent video & explanation. THANKS!

[@IronMan_thno]

This might be the most necessary video of all time. I mean that 100% sincerely. I used to just call it fastball, change up, and breaking ball. Different breaks of course, but it made it easier.

[@TomNguyen]

It's all so nuanced that I still can't tell among all the breaking pitches other than speed :(

[@spelunkerd]

I've been searching for this video for, years. So, is the difference between a two seam fastball and a screwball just a matter of speed, both breaking away from the side of the pitcher's glove?

[@SportsExplained]

I'm not an expert on that side of it, but I do know that there's more to it than just the speed. The difference comes down to how the pitches are gripped and released. Here is Brent Honeywell, who is in the Rays farm system, showing how he throws a true screwball: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXTHhJmejrJskJI Here is Marcus Stroman's two-seamer / sinker grip kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6utpmBqZ8xqY80 You can see it's way different, even though it ends up having a significant arm-side break

[@Maazin5]

0:24 Maybe a 4th thing to pay attention to is the grip. Sometimes we can see it on the broadcast before the pitch and it helps to predict what's coming.

[@sthompson18]

Terrific. Echoing others on this thread, I've been watching baseball forever, yet I've never seen a video breaking all this down. Kudos and thanks.

[@SportsExplained]

Yea! Thanks 🥳

[@syf13]

Great breakdown! Quick and to the point.

[@CameronCajun]

You forgot to mention: 1) the "spit, pine-tar, tobaccoca-cola, spin-rate cheater." 2) the "knuckle-curve" (or the "ghost-pitch," cuz I'm still not sure if it truly exists). 3) the "submarine, body-torque, Gene-Garber, 'what the hell was that' pitch." Other than that - great video!

[@diggingmystyle]

I'm more confused than ever.

[@BillyJoeMcallister]

I'm glad you cleared up "breaking balls" for me. I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch it....

[@Whitsoxrule1]

I already knew all this yet I still clicked and enjoyed. Really like your style. Look forward to more vids.

[@elhugo13]

Watch this videos 3 times, months apart each time. And still have no clue the what the majority of pitches im seeing. I'm not good at this.

[@DudeTotally1000]

I thought the splitter was considered a fastball. It's called a split finger fastball right?

[@sitbone3]

Yes. And the change-up is a change of pace from the fastball.

[@elmopihkala402]

splitters and forkballs are change-ups. you could call a regular circle change a ”palm-tucked fastball” too if you wanted to

[@DudeTotally1000]

@@elmopihkala402The split finger fastball isn't a fastball. That's not a stupid name at all lol.

[@hoanpham4545]

It's just a different name to a pitch. Split finger fastball = splitter. Screwball = fade away. Straight change and circle change just refer to the grip. Those pitches do have different movements though. Over a hundred years of baseball. There's just going to be a ton of slang for different pitches. The cutter was revolutionary in the 90s and early 00s but the pitch that is the latest trend is the power change up. Yes, it is thrown with at lower velocities than the fastball but some pitchers now are putting so much spin on it, it has characteristics of a breaking ball. For instance, a circle change up thrown fast enough with enough spin will act like a reverse slider or screwball.

[@elmopihkala402]

@@DudeTotally1000 i don’t know who came up with the name :D probably they thought then it was a fastball it is disputed though even within mlb and the broadcasting networks. i think it’s a change-up (maybe it should be called split-fingered change-up or just splitter) because it literally has a change of pace and acts like many modern-day change-ups

[@dabrab6324]

Thanks just starting out playing mlb the show 22. You explain very well and simple.

[@johnwhite2412]

Great video. I appreciate the examples and clarity.

[@samanthagainey1756]

Love this! Just getting into baseball more and being able to put visuals to the lingo is awesome. Thank you so much for your hard work!

[@SportsExplained]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@chatloaves]

Excellent overview. Thank you.

[@foundationsmedicalinformat2420]

As a life long baseball player turned baseball nerd, this video was candy. I’ve never seen the topic addressed so thoroughly. Bravo sir 👏🏼

[@SportsExplained]

Thanks!!

[@Gatorbaight]

BRILLIANT!!! Absolutely love this video! Thank you for the tutorial it was perfect and intriguing!!