Why We Don't See This Physics Defying Pitch Anymore - The Mythical Screwball

What happened to The Screwball? It was a pitch that defied logic and physics by breaking like a curveball from the opposite arm. The pitch was thrown by Christy Mathewson, Carl Hubbell, Juan Marichal, Fernando Valenzuela and others of the past. However, in modern baseball, it is very rare. In this HUMM BABY BASEBALL Special, we examine the SCREWBALL and some reasons why perhaps we don't see it anymore.
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[@HummBabyBaseball]

Comment #2000! Thanks for all your support on this video!!

[@HummBabyBaseball]

@@oughtssought1198 wait Roger Craig passed???? What..

[@oughtssought1198]

@@HummBabyBaseball my bad given how old he was when he retired & how l long ago that was, I assumed... I'm gonna erase that reply so as not to jinx one of my favorite ex-Dodgers thanks for the correction ... only time we learn is when we're finding out we are wrong

[@snarevox]

@@oughtssought1198 bro hes 92, youre not very far off.. for all we know he might wish he had already checked out.

[@bryankelly3647]

Liked & subscribed, still curious about why no mention of circle change 🤔

[@fisharepeopletoo9653]

Sounds screwball is just a solved puzzle. If someone is expecting it, like you say, it becomes a pointless pitch. But having it in the back pocket, a "change up," if you will, of your normal pitches is just the place such a pitch would be relegated. Not saying it can't cause injury, just saying that even if it did cause injury but was a difficult pitch to hit, it would still be used. These players are competitors and their coaches want to win, at the end of the day they would likely be willing to risk injury for the W.

[@domgrosso121]

“You only need two pitches. One they’re looking for, and one they ain’t. “- Dizzy Dean

[@glizzified7578]

That’s why I use aroldis Chapman as a relief in mlb the show lmao

[@dangreene9846]

Now days it all about throwing as hard as you can for as long as you can.

[@MichaelSimmons.]

Jim Palmer use to say the same thing. As long as you can control two pitches, you keep the hitter guessing.

[@roguelead72]

Mariano Rivera basically only had one pitch.

[@larryking9951]

There aren't the characters in base ball like there was in the past. Yogi and Dizzy are two great examples. "and one they ain't" priceless!!

[@PinballBob1]

I can't resist adding that Screwball pitcher Carl Hubbell, in the 1934 All Star game, struck out in order, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, Al Simmons, & Joe Cronin. All 5 of them HOF.

[@BeastnHarlotDFO]

@Cool Breeze Who shit in your cornflakes?

[@martinpolach6171]

@@BeastnHarlotDFO ..no need to get rude !

[@trentk268]

Bruh, you beat me to it! lol

[@BeastnHarlotDFO]

@@martinpolach6171 Dang sir, there's no need to yell. I was replying to an overtly negative comment, now deleted (fortunately). I hope you have had a good weekend and are excited for the coming week. Best wishes.

[@kevinbergin9971]

Oh, you can resist.

[@danamaral6587]

I learned in high school that I threw a natural screwball. I went from center field to pitcher. It was the only thing I knew to throw. Thank you, coach Lovell Smith for discovering this!

[@redcast104]

i wonder if ur infielders were ever like “damn i really misread that one” when u threw it from center

[@rhysiswar]

Sadly he passed away not too long ago

[@TheCJRhodes]

@@rhysiswar oh dang, rip in peace dan amaral

[@theluigifan42]

@@rhysiswar who the hell is steve jobs?

[@rhysiswar]

@@theluigifan42 he also passed away from a terrible illness.

[@TruthHurts2u]

One year I was catcher for our little league team and our pitcher was amazing. This was a 15 year old kid and he could throw any pitch there was. He could curve a ball in almost any direction and the amount of break his pitches had was incredible to witness. His knuckle balls were all over the place and were just as hard to catch as they were to hit. His change ups were so drastic they appeared to slam on the breaks at the last second and I dreaded his fast balls, they used to hurt sooo bad. Three out of four years he was pitching we had an undefeated season and we made it to all-state playoffs. If the rest of us had been better this kid could have carried us to a Little League Championship. I thought for sure we would end up seeing him playing for the pros someday. Never did.

[@twozup1098]

What was his name and does anyone know what he’s doing

[@TruthHurts2u]

@@twozup1098 I don't want to "out" him online without his permission but last I heard he was living in Texas and what he does has nothing to do with baseball.

[@twozup1098]

@@TruthHurts2u sounds like a waste of talent. Hope he’s happy at least!☺️

[@prosamis]

Talent and potential unrealized will always be a devastating story

[@Vapourwear]

Maybe know the same guy. Last name start with “w?”

[@fjb4932]

"Screwballs aren't hard to hit, when you can hit'em." Yogi Berra

[@BobbyWelcomePackets]

He’s got some of the best quotes in baseball imo

[@heroichitsuji]

@@BobbyWelcomePackets Yogi Berra has the best quotes period.

[@KillzSniper]

@@heroichitsuji yeah but he was overrated

[@Omar-ko4wv]

🤣

[@ploopy8780]

Yogis Berra used to sit behind me at church when from 2-10 lol

[@andrewflanagan3658]

“Wouldn’t be hard to hit if the hitter was expecting it...” Cuts to B roll of Astros hitting. Lovely

[@Arigator2]

Yeah that's nonsense. If they couldn't hit it 30 years ago they can't hit it now.

[@Victor_Coelho]

@@Arigator2 he is talking about the astros cheating

[@Katastra_]

*bang* *bang*

[@lincbond442]

@@Victor_Coelho Even with the Astros cheating, the Dodgers still were able to force a Game 7.

[@jimmyz2098]

Tell that to Mariano Rivera. Everyone knew * exactly * what was coming - almost every single pitch. And they still couldn't hit it. I know that's rare. Disguise is very important, as is movement, and change of speed. El Presidente' was a rare baseball gift.

[@LLPOF]

All I know is that it was very hard on my arm (in hs) and I had quit trying to throw it. Yes, I had "proper" mechanics for it, and it still hurt. That doesn't mean other people can't throw it. We're all made a little different.

[@craighenry2351]

That’s what I said. To throw it and get decent break you have to turn your arm over and snap. You really feel it in your elbow, but I also felt a jolt in my shoulder, as well, like I was doing something unnatural (Which I was.).

[@travisprugh6347]

I threw it as a 2 seam and did the same application of force. im a left so i turned my hand over more and puah with my index. it would break away from a righty about a foot from my normal fastball. i didnt notice any extra stress but i knew it came out about 8mph slower on avg.

[@cyruslever586]

The problem i always had was no matter what I threw after half a dozen pitches I couldn't feel my fingers/hand besides needles because I was whipping my arm so fast all the blood would flow to my finger tips.

[@travisramirez7143]

Unfortunately , only those with a specific, build, mechanics and unique natural throwing motion are meant to use the pitch.

[@bigguy7353]

Yeah, I threw it to great effect in college. Used it as a change up. No pain, but it took concentration to throw correctly.

[@thathockeyguy1]

I’m 57 years old now and I threw a screwball for four years of high school baseball in the early eighties. Mike Marshall actually played for the Minnesota Twins as his last team and I met him once and he showed my how he threw it with finger placement and all. I never had any major injuries but then again I never played after high school. I have often wondered why not many in the big leagues throw it anymore. I had reasonably good control of it and would usually get similar speed as my fastball because you can only twist your arm (obviously) only slightly.

[@chrisfuller1268]

My brother Jeff used it and his team won the MN state champion little league a couple years in a row back in the early 80s. Good times.

[@cecerosetv4204]

I’ve been throwing this pitch for the last 25 years in adult baseball with great success. You don’t get as many strikeouts as a normal pitcher but what you do get a lot of is weak contact, which helps tremendously on defense.

[@Buckarooskiczek]

Same here. (Except I’m retired now…) When I’d trade off at shortstop I effortlessly made my throw to first with a screwball now and then and it would fade just ahead of the runner and if they were looking, many of them would duck and cover as they ran. I actually had better accuracy with my screwball than I did the slider…Ah, the glory days!

[@crashburn3292]

I had success with it in high school. But because it was bit slower and doesn't break as much as a slider or curve meant it got tagged a lot when I got to college, so I had to drop it.

[@Glaudge]

other than intramurals i have never played baseball but i keep talking about the lower inside corner of the zone and how difficult it is to get solid homers and not pop-ups or fouls if you do get contact

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

@@Glaudge Until you run up against those people that have that as their sweet spot. Low and Inside isn't a bad placement...but most won't chase that pitch and there have been quite a few that would punish you for putting it in the strike zone. High and Inside is the safest spot. Not ability to put the barrel of the bat on it. Low and Inside? I've seen people golf those out of the park routinely.

[@tessierashpoolmg7776]

"Screwgee! Strike 3." Vin Scully

[@brainmistrust8480]

Late in his career, Greg Maddux’s 2-seamer was practically a screwball.

[@farmerlarbear2244]

That’s when he was really proficient at slicing the ball on his glove eye-lets. Don’t blame him, he was smack dab in the steroid era.

[@INTJerk]

I was just thinking that. I don't know enough about the history, but was it the case that the two-seamers took on a substitutionary role over the screwball?

[@thecynic807]

Yeah I thought the cutter was a screw ball.

[@marmaladecream2233]

I swear I saw some of his pitches break twice

[@richardtherichard26]

@@thecynic807 nah cutter moves in the opposite direction

[@adraedin]

3:57 That was an insane curve... As a kid, I was under the impression that a pitcher just through it fast and as straight as possible - the idea being to get the ball pass the batter. Growing older, I've realized that (obviously) there's more to it than that. It has always intrigued me how a pitcher can make a ball do different things just by grabbing the ball differently and changing a few minor forces in a throw that's already involving so many moving parts of your body. And then the batter has like .5 seconds to notice and respond to a ball flying at him... what an interesting game.

[@yungdraco6075]

that’s why hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in all sports

[@righty-o3585]

Damn, that shit started behind the batter and ended in the opposite side batter box !!

[@zakpodo]

@@righty-o3585 you guys think so? I think it's just perspective, seems to have traced a pretty normal, trajectory. I could he wrong

[@righty-o3585]

@@zakpodo I don't really watch baseball to be honest. So to me that was a crazy change of direction. It could have been a normal curve, but that shit woulda got me good . Lol

[@moeburn]

It's a changeup not a screwball.

[@notyourtypicalwatchreview2563]

I’m always amazed at the accuracy of pitchers. To see a ball do such crazy stuff, and still go pretty much where the pitcher wants, is astounding.

[@baberoot1998]

Agreed. It is amazing. Aaaannnddd...it is the reason pitchers make millions of dollars.

[@notyourtypicalwatchreview2563]

@@baberoot1998 they’re worth it.

[@Zombeegun]

I'm amazed at the pitcher and the catcher for being able to track and catch those pitches

[@Deenaziamazinjg14]

@@notyourtypicalwatchreview2563 lol no athlete is worth millions

[@jkokich]

@@Deenaziamazinjg14 I never said they were.

[@Garyalarson1]

I don’t see them “extinct” as much as rebranded a sinking 2-seamers and circle changeups. Personally I threw my change and had a reverse slider rotation like a screwball and could even pull down on the front of the ball to give it more vertical break. Maybe the “grip” of the screwball - offset FB with pressure pushing the ball outside the hand is not seen as much, but the action of screwballs is alive and well today more than ever.

[@bphelpsy0044]

i couldnt believe he didnt mention either of these pitches. they both break opposite of a curve

[@F40PH-2CAT]

Yes, I remember Bob Ojeda with the Mets in the 80s threw a type of changeup he called a dead fish....which was essentially a screwball in movement if not grip. John Franco also threw this pitch.

[@Richie3Jack]

I agree. Greg Maddux was a master with his sinker and circle change that broke to the arm side.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

2 seamers are a bit fast for a normal screwball..but it's very similar otherwise.

[@drizzle452]

Circle change absolutely falls off the side of the hand and breaks arm side. With enough work and added pressure on the middle finger, you can probably get more fade

[@jimschwandt8089]

If you're a few years older, you'll remember pitchers who were referenced by announcers as junkballers. They were always tossing screwballs, forkballs, and the like. I can't remember the last time I heard an announcer use that term. Needless to say, I'd like to see those old pitches re-emerge again.

[@KevinWindsor1971]

Frank Tanana was an effective junkballer after he blew his arm out.

[@josefino72]

Yeah. It’s all about power and speed these days. I really like that part of the game.

[@jedburlingham3593]

Never heard that term, but did like Lindy McDaniel's Forkball when he pitched for the Cubs (I was in a Chicago suburb at that time). Got to see Warren Spahn throw his Screwball, and Hoyt Wilhelm throw the knuckleball.

[@watchthis7767]

Bob Knepper was an Astro back in the 80s, that’s who I think of when people say junk baller.

[@chrisjackson9626]

That was nickname when I pitched in my rec league. Knuckleballs, screwballs, knuckle curves, palm balls etc. I'd throw any piece of junk I could get my hands on.

[@johnknapp952]

For the first few months of Valenzuela's first year with the Dodgers, he was not only almost unhittable but also has had the best batting average of the team.

[@arcticphoenix2789]

So basically, he was the Shohei Ontani of his time

[@MetFanMac]

@@arcticphoenix2789 He hit .250 with zero home runs, soooo not quite.

[@semarcus1]

You know where I grew up when I mention: - How fruitless it was to watch Tug McGraw throw his screwball at Shea - What a thrill to see him bang his glove against his leg at The Vet - The final pitch of the 1980 World Series... - An LP with Tug narrating "Casey at the Bat" with the Philly Pops Orchestra - After many years of estrangement, Tug and his famous son, Tim, reunited - Watching Tug ride the perimeter of the field at Veterans Stadium the last time that it was open to the public - The sadness of losing Tug to a brain tumor - His screwball saved many games for the Mets and the Phillies.

[@csnide6702]

and spawned a country star that he never had a relationship with.... Tug was a pathetic excuse for a man.

[@mickey-eq5vw]

def a philly favorite and one of my first baseball cards i still have

[@iliketurtles1317]

Tim mcgraws dad 😥

[@hull_k0gan641]

When you mention Philadelphia? Duh, dude

[@russs7574]

His screwball was very good to me in several fantasy leagues.

[@rickkinki4624]

Fernando was just awesome! I can remember in the late 1960s watching a Dodgers game at my grandmother's house. Jim Brewer was pitching for L.A. and Vin Scully called him a screwball pitcher, which of course he was. My grandmother thought that was a very rude thing to call the pitcher. Why did he call him a screwball? I miss you, Grandma!

[@airport1687]

this made my day

[@tomwristen372]

About 15-20 years ago my wife had two sons that were pitchers,she also knew what a balk was she asked me one day why did they start calling it a balk,why not a Beethoven LOL

[@rickkinki4624]

@@tomwristen372 Hilarious!

[@purpasmart_4831]

@E low He wasn't talking about Fernando...

[@engell3707]

@E low First paragraph they mentioned Fernando. Second paragraph they mention Brewer pitching for L.A. you made a reading comprehension mistake. F for Failed

[@dickcnormis1444]

The screwball went extinct, just like running hard to first base on a ground ball.

[@ThePaperSun]

What? What league are you watching?

[@Khaos949]

@@ThePaperSun you know what he meant jogging to first not trying to beat every ball out

[@dickcnormis1444]

@@ThePaperSun do you possess any reading comprehension? Baseball is a total bore , lazy crybabies, it’s either home runs or strikeouts. Baseball was way better in the 70s and 80s.

[@JamesDuckettAuthor]

Hey, don't bring Manny Machado into this!

[@TheSkepticalGrassHopper]

Injury risk rules sports these days. Nobody wants to dart to first base when you know the 3rd basemen is getting that ball to 1st before you will.

[@Cincinnatus1869]

My older brother is a tall left hander who threw hard but everytime he threw it moved like a screwball. Even when he threw from the outfield the ball tended to drift to his left. I've not seen anyone with as much natural movement as his throws. He got to be able to control it better and played for a league in Virginia / Maryland/ Pa in the 80s.

[@jamesgabrielson473]

My college team would have a guy or two each year try to become a screwballer or a submariner. Those were some rough bullpen sessions.

[@itinerantpatriot1196]

Willie Hernandez was another who won a Cy Young relying on his screwball. I learned the grip and how to throw it watching Monday Night Baseball back in the early 70s. I forget the pitcher who was in that segment but for a guy like me, a utility player who pitched batting practice simply because I could throw strikes consistently, it gave me a breaking pitch I could actually throw on those rare occasions when the coach would let me pitch in a live game. So here's a thumbs up from an old screwballer who was a bench player because he couldn't hit pitches like the screwball.

[@jonripley5283]

yep

[@udhoop]

It won Willie the Cy Younf AND the MVP

[@truthseeker2900]

I threw this pitch with great success. And in my 40s while coaching high school baseball, struck out the entire team with that pitch, at one practice just because they said I couldn't.

[@bobo44donemilking51]

I used it in highschool ,it was a great pitch same with the change up

[@clarkeugene5727]

Well I bet yo got total respect after that. Thanks for sharing.

[@drdre4397]

Great way to gain the team's respect.

[@HHHAAA111222]

Nice. Old age and treachery...A good lesson for the youngins!

[@bobo44donemilking51]

My son's softball team needed 2 players for a big local tournament so me 50 years old and another parent 43 played ,I hadn't swung a bat in 18 years ,after 6 games in the tournament guess who led the team in hitting the 2 old guys ,I batted 740 and the other 0ld guy 700 ,the best part my son of 22 asked me how I hit the ball so hard and long ,up till then he had only heard of the legend

[@oliverlabrador8880]

I think you meant: “scouting reports are everywhere, iPads are in the dugouts, trash cans are in the dugout. When they know what’s coming....etc.”

[@thehellezell]

My grandfather played AA minor leagues (back before WW2 and AAA lol) and I believe pitched sometimes (although he was primarily a short stop I think). When he was teaching me how to play he showed me how to throw a screwball but I could never get it. He thought of it more as a novelty and said it was way to unpredictable / hard to control even though it was a beast to try to hit one.

[@crashburn3292]

I got away with throwing it in high school, but in college, the slower speed and movement led to it getting hit much more than the curve. It would hang more. And that's the consensus I got from other pitchers who threw it. You just can't get as much movement or speed on pushing with the outside of your fingers, compared to pulling with the inside of your fingers.

[@bmcg4977]

I think every pitcher should have a knuckleball, eephus, or some “junkball” pitch in his back pocket for the 3rd time through the order. Something to throw off hitters as they just start to get comfortable.

[@andrewyarosh1809]

Pitchers today don’t make it to the 3rd time in the order. They are all on the Roger Clemens plan, pitch 5 innings so you get “credited” for the win.

[@bmcg4977]

No - it would have to be developed like any other pitch in their arsenal. “Junkball” is a catch all term for less common offspeed pitches, not a derisive term for the knuckleball.

[@Court_Reporting_Help]

@@bmcg4977 As to whether it is derogatory, it depends on who is talking about it, but "junkball" is the term they use for junk pitches. Paige used the most. He invented them while on the mound in the middle of a game.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

Trying out novelties is never a good idea. Stick with what got you to the dance and use better strategy. Most Starters have 4 Pitches, you only need 3 Strikes. You don't need Novelties, instead just don't use the traditional "fast, fast, break fast" or "fast, break, fast" pitching strategy...

[@eldiablo1000]

@@Court_Reporting_Help, screwball, circle-change, knuckleball, knuckle curve, slurve, fork ball, vulcan change-up, split finger, palmball, eefus...any of these are cool to see thrown on occasion...then combine these with variations of arm angles, and who knows how many junk pitches could be invented? I like seeing pitchers that have more than just a standard Fastball, Change-up, Curveball, Slider repertoire...

[@gasaga3]

Vin Scully would say back in the 60's when Dodger's reflief pitcher Jim Brewer was pitching...."screwball got him looking....."

[@chadpeters7255]

These days a lot of pitchers throw a variation of the circle change up that breaks the opposite direction but the break is much sharper than the screw ball. I think it’s been replaced at this point.

[@Russ-gy7tx]

He sure did, also with Fernando and Charlie Hough. “The Voice of Summer”

[@jimmusch1124]

I think you might have missed one, Randy Jones, of the Padres. He was one of the best screwballers,of all times. His screwball was so devastating, that Pete Rose hit left handed against him, so he wouldn’t have to see it! Pretty special.

[@glasssteel]

Or Tug McGraw for the Phillies.

[@ammoalamo6485]

Pete who?

[@staltus]

@@glasssteel That was my first thought too.

[@thomasaronson4300]

I always loved watching him pitch. Enjoyable pitch paintings as a pitcher

[@Paulanthny]

@@glasssteel - THANK you.

[@brianchua4240]

This video keeps getting better and better!! Way to go Humm Baby!!!!

[@dt3443]

3:55 is one of the nastiest pitches I've ever seen. My jaw dropped.

[@lancelittleton9802]

Thought the same thing, damn

[@irondolo2225]

Yeah that was pretty nasty.

[@MikeDindu]

Gnarly

[@rehm402]

Yeah man look at that thing fking go

[@notNajimi]

Holy shit, that batter has a family dude. That was insane

[@MeneerHerculePoirot]

When we were kids my brother taught me how to throw a curve. I was 11. It worked. My dad taught me how to throw a knuckleball. It worked, too. At the school library I took out a book. It was a biography of Carl Hubbell. In it he explained how he threw the screwball. So, I practiced throwing it to my brother. It took a couple days, but it worked as well. Not great, but just enough. So, my last year in Little League I was a junkballer. lol Threw 3 no-hitters and 6 complete games. My record was 7-0. Led the league in ERA, strikeouts, wins and walks. lol Then puberty hit just about everybody except me for Pony League. Man, what difference a year makes. I got lit up every time I pitched. lol Ended up platooning in right field. The shame! Right field! From the penthouse to the outhouse in one year. EDIT: Forgot to mention. I led the league in HBP as well. My knuckleball went everywhere. lol

[@Nick__E2]

I was the best player on all of my little league teams with machines pitching (not being cocky, I really was statistically speaking and winning all the awards left and right) and man I tell you that first HBP I got from an actual kid pitching...oh man that changed everything. I was terrified every at bat. I was jumping out of the way of strikes. Ended up quitting. I just couldn’t handle it anymore and wasn’t having fun anymore. Wish I didn’t though.

[@MeneerHerculePoirot]

@@Nick__E2 I feel you, bruh. HBP was in reference to kids that 'I' hit. It's an acronym for 'hit by pitch'. Got hit in the eye once, but I was looking the pitch in and it came straight off the bat up into my eye. That was scary. Cracked my orbital bone. That was pretty much it for my MLB dreams. It happened in my 2nd year of Pony League.

[@garyschraa7947]

When we was kids we all had to pick walnuts when it was time . $2 a lug we made . But I could practice a curve ball that went the wrong way . Nobody believed me because I couldn't do it with a baseball . I was an outfielder .....what was I thinking . Haha _________

[@anonymike8280]

@@MeneerHerculePoirot And the graveyards are full of mute, inglorious Milton too. I might be one someday myself.

[@tomsmith5216]

I got hit in head by a pitch from a kid much bigger than the rest of us. This was in the 50s, before helmets. He was fast but wild, and I never saw it coming. Next thing I remember was being in the emergency room listening to mg dad and a dr. talking about how it could have been worse, lol. Easy for them to say, it wasn't their head! I had a huge lump in my niggin and marks from the stitching on the ball, as well as sirt of double vision for a couple of days. Befire thaf I was a pretty good hitter. After that my knees would buckle when the pitcher started his windup. A shame, because I loved baseball...

[@joshuapatrick682]

I’d be curious to know whether elbow ligament tears are universal to the game or just something Americans deal with because the insane stress put on the arm by the mechanics in American pitching

[@scottsimms7651]

With any pitch, the “last finger to touch the ball” is what determines what direction the ball will move. Today’s pitchers have the ability to move the same pitch in both directions with the same arm slot and release point simply by finger pressure. As a pitching coach, I show pitchers how to do it with no additional stress on the arm. Just yesterday a 14 year old threw 20 two-seam fast balls alternating left and right breaking about 8 inches. The sweet spot on a bat is only about 6 inches wide so this is enough movement to cause poor contact. Plus it is a great way to self correct if the pitcher is missing the zone consistently. At 56 years of age I can still make a circle change move in both directions as much as a curve ball, so why throw a curve?

[@dontneedtoknow5836]

I was about to say. If you play pool then you understand English. Add in a third vertices, increased velocity and distance vs speed vs mass. Guess what. They still think it is from the ground up and that it is a smooth motion. You just deflect the motion one small change at a time. More ticks less slicks.

[@jstud999]

You’re a pitching coach and you’re asking why throw a curveball?

[@scottsimms7651]

@@jstud999 yes, why hurt your developing young pitcher’s arms with a curveball if you can get similar or better movement with other grips. That’s what I was saying, hopefully that’s simply stated enough. If you reread my post you see where I wrote, “I show pitchers how to do it with no additional stress on the arm.” I interact with two former MLB pitchers, now private coaches themselves, and they teach the same techniques I do.

[@reginaldmustardbacon5866]

@@scottsimms7651 that is a sensible view on it. Thank you for the further clarification.

[@edscott4729]

Following the advice of Warren Spahn, Jim Brewer developed a screwball to become one of the most successful relievers in the National League in the 1960s and 1970s.

[@toordal]

You didn't mention Willie Hernandez. Yeah, he was just a relief pitcher, but in his career year:1984 when he won the Cy Young & MVP awards, he went 9-3 in addition to his 32/33 saves and pitched 140 innings which is unheard of for closers today. He relied on the screwball heavily.

[@domdececco]

As an old Phillies fan, I can’t believe you didn’t reference Tug McGraw. His screwball helped us win our first World Series in 1980.

[@gnlout7403]

My first MLB game was at the vet around 1980. Saw tug pitch.

[@michaell874]

The Screwball is a very difficult pitch to throw because of the reverse twisting of the arm. No one throws it anymore because of that reason and because the split fingered fastball does the same thing but better, and is a much easier pitch to throw.

[@Criminal.Lawyer]

This video is like me writing an essay in high school where there was a word limit. It keeps repeating points lol

[@jeremybear573]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ZeroSum23]

I was going to say...I didn't know it was possible to repeat yourself so many times in a 6 minute video.

[@iiiEazyiii]

yeah non baseball person here, so what was the reason? better methods I'd assume.

[@ZeroSum23]

@@iiiEazyiii did you watch the video before asking this question?

[@ZeroSum23]

@@iiiEazyiii His conclusion seems to be two things. First, people incorrectly believe that the motion required to throw a Screwball is more likely to cause injury. Even though there's be no actual established link, it FEELS weird to throw and people intuitively think that means you're more likely to hurt yourself. But probably more importantly, it doesn't seem to break as sharply as more common pitches like a Slider or Curve. And the fact that it's breaking in an unexpected direction isn't enough to make up for the overall lack of motion.

[@toadshrm]

You forgot Tug McGraw! Threw one of the nastiest “scroogies”👍

[@ernestolombardo5811]

Ya gotta believe!

[@rhm5158]

I was going to mention Tug but you beat me to it

[@strad36]

Agreed. First person I thought of was Tugger. He even authored a series of comic books called "Scroogie" about a lefty screwball pitcher.

[@stephenmccarthy5593]

Tub's book was titled "Screwball" - surprised they missed mentioning him in the vid

[@harryjames9050]

That's right! Tug was fun.

[@zacharyjeffares8158]

I actually know how to throw this pitch effectively! I taught myself how to do it, but I always thought I was throwing a forkball. When I snap my wrist I turn my fingers towards my glove hand, causing the ball to turn like an opposite curveball. I love it!

[@tristramcoffin926]

I'm fascinated by the screwball. It is a pitch I remember from my youth and I would love to see it come back, even as you say, as a rarely used but potent weapon in a few select pitchers back pocket. It is a fun pitch to watch and especially if a pitcher has a strong curve it seems to me a screwball paired with it, say 10% of the time, could be utterly devastating. More, with all the priority that is given today on pitching velocity the screwball somewhat acts as a pitch to mess up a hitters timing. Stephen Strasburg throws a changeup that breaks similar to a screwball. I didn't know the part about how the pitch isn't any more stressful on a pitchers arm than a fastball and I agree that with as often as pitchers are injured in the game these days anyway, there couldn't be much of a difference. I would be curious to know if the pitch is any more common in Japan where there is more emphasis on pitches with break and if maybe the pitch will return from there as more Japanese and other asians sign with teams in Major League Baseball after Shohei Ohtani has taken the league by storm. Thanks for the video.

[@Zoyx]

Mike Marshall pitched in 108 games with over 200 relief innings during his Cy Young year. Imagine a modern reliever doing that.

[@bobmorgan1762]

When Marshall was called to the mound...Dodgers Win!

[@mylosgaffney8987]

@@bobmorgan1762 He had 12 losses that year.

[@gnielsen07]

Mariano Rivera had similar year in 1996. Andrew Miller in the 2016 playoffs was closest we’ve seen to multiple inning dominant reliever

[@daveconleyportfolio5192]

@@mylosgaffney8987 Marshall disdains the one-inning "closer" who only wants to come in with a lead, unlike the old-fashioned "fireman" who might be brought in to keep a game close until his team can rally. He listed extra-inning tie situations on the road as the toughest relief situation.

[@pjclick1]

I was lucky enough to be in the clubhouse with Mike, and he showed me how he threw his screwballs. Yes, screwballs, because he had three of them. First, there was the "normal" one, that broke away from left-handed hitters. Then, he had one that broke straight down, and finally he had one where he got his fingers and wrist so far over that the ball broke "towards" a left-handed hitter. All with the same motion. It was amazing to watch.

[@drbonesshow1]

What happened to The Screwball? Well, you can't measure it on the radar gun in the 90-mph range so the fastest-ball-minded scout ignores its beauty.

[@gnielsen07]

Splitters have gone extinct too ! Believe Yu darvish still throws one, but they’re very rare

[@jakesullivan3017]

@@gnielsen07 Ohtani and Casey Mize throw splitters

[@ItsPureLuck27]

Pretty sure it's more because the amount of torque it puts on your elbow is atrocious

[@kodalycat906]

@@ItsPureLuck27 Splitter (forkball) at major league speed especially.

[@TaiyoN]

@@gnielsen07 Nathan Eovaldi from Boston also throws a splitter There are probably more that aren't well known.

[@frankenclouds5740]

First time visiting your channel. Really enjoyed this video. I will browse your play list for a knuckle ball video

[@mRibbons]

I don't watch baseball. I haven't played since grade school. I know nothing about the major league. I still watched this whole video. Fascinating stuff. Truly.

[@marbanak]

Perfect explanation for something that has long wondered me. Your call for a secret, once-n-a-rare-moment, weapon is spot-on.

[@BIGDHENRY]

The “screwball” for some pictures came by way of what was called a “circle change up” which had similar action as a screwball but came at a slower pace. Doyle Alexander had one of the best circle change ups

[@LouisEmery]

Thanks for choosing that music. Not all baseball fans drag their knuckles on the ground.

[@zeekwolfe6251]

When I was pitching (saber tooth tigers were still common in SoCal) I threw a fastball, a "twelve to six" curve, and my favorite, a knuckle curve thrown sidearm. That pitch had a big break but was slow and only used against right hand batters. Once in a while I'd throw a screwball. The stress was on the index and middle fingers not the elbow. Easy to throw but hard to control. I might throw it 1:2 or 0:2 but only those counts.

[@oughtssought1198]

as a kid I was a huge Marichal fan, who of course also admired Spahn (but rarely got to see him on TV) I tried to learn Marichal's whole repertoire, all those pitches from all those arm slots & had part-time control of most of them w/ a whiffle ball, and a pretty good assortment w/ a hardball (which we had enough kids on our block to play almost every day in the summers, but had a no fastballs rule becuz of the age range in our group I only mention it becuz of yr sidearm knuckle curve ... I invented a sidearm screwball I toyed with never got the control down, and some days I couldn't get movement, but it was fun to toy with

[@MrCctvtech]

Its still thrown. Its just not called a screwball. In today's pitcher training its called pronation. The more pronation you let happen naturally, the more movement your 2 seam and change up will have to arm side. Just don't forcibly twist the wrist, forearm, elbow in an attempt to get more spin.

[@eeeyyyeee]

ya I agree with you. i grew up throwing a screwball (and a knuckleball for good measure) and can recognize the action on the ball and it seems like a LOT of high velocity guys are pronating giving their 2-seam fastballs a screwball fade at the end.

[@gavinwinkler1147]

The Screwball had its own grip, but yes, pronation is why it breaks that way. It's very similar to a good sinker in terms of the motion, but sinkers are generally thrown hard, but not as hard as fastballs

[@jty9631]

yeah I was thinking, though I'm not a pitcher so I'm not sure, but to get a spin like that must require a late release. if you want it to break super hard, then you need a super late release, so you won't get much power behind it. but you can totally get that sort of spin, just more subtle, and still get a lot of speed if you just release the ball a bit earlier.

[@gavinwinkler1147]

@@jty9631 not necessarily a late release, more just putting pressure on the index finger, which changes the rotation to where it spins toward the non-glove hand, which makes it break like a Screwball. It's actually how major league pitchers throw 94+ mph two seamers and sinkers that run in

[@ryangilbert1951]

Thanks for your comment, lots of people in this thread have zero knowledge on this topic and you may have enlightened them.

[@xKillZone99]

Devin Williams throws a hybrid changeup screwball which is insane. He literally holds it in a change up grip but does the screw ball release with his arm and wirst.

[@cameranmanner4701]

doesn't a circle change have the same type of action?

[@xKillZone99]

@@cameranmanner4701 circle change is more of a slow 2 seam break or slow reverse cutter break.

[@cameranmanner4701]

@@xKillZone99 yip, but it does break in the opposite direction. i used to follow Doyle Alexander's career. as a kid i tired so hard to learn the circle change he tossed where the ball would roll off the tip of my pinky finger, trying to get that larger break. my only issue i had with it was poor control.

[@blankname6629]

What that tells me about devin Williams is that he is a very smart pitcher who works tirelessly at his craft. You don’t just wake up one day and decide to seriously try to throw a change up like that. That shows a lot of trial and error.

[@fredlydog4092]

Winner! Pronated delivery circle change

[@MikeB-sp6gp]

Great piece. But you forgot to name the guy we see first-- Mike Cuellar. Had his greatest years with the Orioles. From '69 - 71 won 23, 24 and 20. Then Cuellar won 22 in '74 on the way to winning 125 games between '69 - '74. Shared the Cy Young with Denny McClain in 1969, becoming the first player who wasn't born in the US to ever win the Cy Young. In '66, with the Astros, his 2.22 was second only to Sandy Koufax-- and included a 15 strikeout game against the Cardinals. Great pitcher. Terrific character-- one of the most superstitious players in baseball history. Mike Cuellar was a credit to baseball.

[@dewayne5628]

I was born 1960, started pitching in Little League 1970, going into the 5th grade. Threw a fastball, a dropping curve, and what is called a 'change up' (slower pitch). When I wasn't pitching I played catcher. The summer after 8th grade, going into high school, the game is now on a 'full-size' field. Much more time for the ball to break, but I definitely realized my fastball wasn't near as fast. So, against the advice of coaching, I began working on the screwball, and the knuckleball. I loved them both, being fascinated with the characteristics of both. I found all pitches could go wild on me pretty easy if I let up on my concentration, with the increased distance of the regulation size field. I could now aim my drop curve at a right-hander's head and watch the ball slide right into the glove. The batter would stand up...STRIKE! Left-hander sets the bat on his shoulder...STRIKE! I only threw the screwball when I had a hitter at the plate. However I practiced throwing it a lot. Gradually my fastball got faster, and by the next year I seldom tossed a knuckleball. My pitching style was straight over the top, like a windmill- no side-arm, going closer to 3/4 with my fast curve. All of this to say, that after only two years of throwing the screwball, to this day my right arm, at the elbow, will still not stretch out straight, like my left. Can't imagine what condition my arm would've ended up if I'd have kept on. I was always a football player first, and dedicated myself as such my last two years of high school as a cornerback/safety. My advice to younger players would be to hold off on the screwball until college level. However, that's what my coach told me. Probably equivalent to asking a junior high football player to wear some damned knee pads these days. "Son, if ya put your hand in that fire, it's gonna..." Oh, well...

[@baseballpoodle5365]

That pitch at 3:55 is amazing. Completely unhittable.

[@markziemba8522]

The 1984 World Champion Detroit Tigers had incomparable reliever Willie Hernandez throwing the screwball. That pitch was absolutely devastating to hitters that year.

[@durango8882]

He was absolutely awesome that year!! Go Tigers

[@xxxxbigrich5752]

Love these videos can you do one or quickly talk about the original FORK BALL instead of the splitter they throw nowadays 🤔

[@mullaneymike79]

just came across this channel... GREAT job!!!

[@seancallahan7011]

I’ve always had a fascination with this particular pitch. I’d love to see it come back too

[@pizzajona]

Oliver Drake’s “screwball” is actually a splitter, although it sure does move like a screwball. Perhaps because of the way he contorts his body when he throws it. Also, Brent Honeywell has now finally made it into the big leagues and still has the screwball! So his injuries luckily didn’t affect his intentions to throw it.

[@mrsasshole]

You hit the nail on the head at 4:30 with the screwball breaking away in the opposite direction of almost any other pitch. The only pitch I can think of that breaks back/away would be a 2 seam fast ball, but obviously far less movement with that pitch. I could see the screwball becoming a dominant pitch again if we see a high end pitcher blaze the trail.

[@johnbroomer3285]

I spent most of my playing days behind the plate but occasionally would be called upon to pitch. I had very little speed but could throw all kinds of “junk”. A natural screwball, a result of throwing 3/4 sidearm, was one one of the pitches I relied on.

[@xKillZone99]

John Franco was throwing screwballs well into his 40's its an insanely tough pitch to throw accurate and to not screw up the release

[@andrewyarosh1809]

John Franco’s name reminds me of the wish everyone should have for their soon-to-be-born children, “Please, please, let him be a lefty.” Best job in the world, situational left-handed relief pitcher.

[@xKillZone99]

@@andrewyarosh1809 he wasn't a situational lefty till he hit his 40's he was a big time closer his entire career till he got old

[@andrewyarosh1809]

@@xKillZone99 Good point, but I’d still wish for a couple of left-handed kids with live arms.....

[@rbbsch1]

Well done Erik ! Fernando was fun to watch. His rookie year hitters were toast.

[@rongerman6992]

Well researched and Documented!! Thank you!

[@jlogan4656]

Thanks for doing this! Not being an ardent baseball fan since I was much younger, I’ve become a fan again in recent years and I’ve been wondering why this pitch seemed to have disappeared!

[@nicksullivan8782]

The circle change has somewhat evolved to fill the void that the screwball has left. Many pitchers put lateral spin on the ball so that it breaks toward the dominant hand of the pitcher.

[@drewkrueger5419]

I know I’m late, but I am shocked that you didn’t mention lefty righty splits. In my mind this is a great pitch for a pitcher who is facing someone that hits significantly better against their hand. Typically you hit the opposite throwing hand better as a hitter, so in my mind this is a great pitch to throw in that situation as a pitcher. No clue if that makes sense or not haha

[@shorewall]

For sure. You want something that breaks away, and to an opposite handed hitter, your slider breaks in. Although they still have the advantage of a better look at the pitch coming out of the hand, with a Screwball type break, you can mitigate that. I like a 2 seamer to jam inside on same handers, a cutter to jam inside on opposite handers, a slider to break away from same handers, and a screwball or circle change to break away from opposite handers.

[@greg6379]

Thanks for the video, I return to it frequently when I'm gathering information on the screwball or looking for a refresher. I see a lot of pitches these days that seem to move like a screwball, but nobody calls them a screwball. I suppose that's first because of differences in the grip and the pitching motion. Second, I've noticed a speed difference. Whereas the screwball tends to be in the range of a changeup (if I'm correct), the pitches I'm talking about today are more like two-seam/sinkers that get great arm-side movement at high velocity. Just wondering if this explains why I'll see screwball-like pitches, but nobody calls them a screwball?

[@insecurecow4419]

I’ve always like the idea of revolutionary players becoming more and more “obsolete” as the sport evolves because their techniques/knowledge has become mainstream. It’s just so fascinating, especially in non-physical sports like esports or card games since players careers are much longer than traditional sports.

[@jimknowlton342]

Imagine if Colon threw it. 2 seam Cutter 4 seam Screwball Slider Forkball

[@RussellStClair-cy1vu]

Loved throwing the the Forkball 2,3,4 seam .

[@musicandmagic909]

Big Sexy still wanted games to be fair, bro, haha

[@michaelreagan3035]

you know, I think he's got one more stint in the big leagues in him. Somewhere. Maybe we just haven't seen it yet?

[@devinosland359]

@@michaelreagan3035 what do you mean one more stint... he'll be pitching in his 60's easy

[@lysergicpillamyd483]

@@michaelreagan3035 unfortunately teams won't take the chance on him these days, GMs don't like older player no matter how kuch they have left in the tank.

[@sleepyancient6655]

As someone who used to throw them (before watching this video), I'll say what ended it for me: I threw my arm out. It's never been the same since. I still can't throw a pitch quickly anymore. Your arm is NOT meant to do that, even if you cause players to jump backwards for almost every strike (it really does curve that much). Edit: So I watched the video, and I'll have to disagree with that study on the premise of why the pitch is dangerous. I think the pitcher was preserving his arm and got all his pitches right. Unfortunately it's a pitch that punishes you extra hard for going too far, and it's extremely easy to go too far. The arm tends to twist under the ball, and the elbow can easily be in front of the ball at one brief point during the pitch. Then, at the end of the motion, when everything is twisted and extended, there is no natural follow-through motion for the body and shoulder (unless you want to spin in place for every pitch and lose velocity on the ball) so the arm locks up suddenly. Imagine slamming a door with the hinge installed folded the wrong way. Sure, as long as you don't put too much pressure on it, it'll just slam partially open. But the moment you go a little too far, you have either bent the hinge or ripped the screws out of the frame.

[@Dulcimerist]

Excellent video! Well put together, and I can tell you really did your homework on this. No wonder this outstanding video has so many views! Wondering if you could put together a video about corked bats. Do they actually give an advantage to a hitter? Although it helps by increasing bat speed, I've heard that the cork decreases the mass of the bat and reduces power. There are also a couple of humorous stories regarding corked bats. One was in July of 1996 when Chris Sabo had broken a couple of his bats, had to grab a random bat out of the clubhouse, and breaking that one revealed it was corked. Another funny story was the Albert Belle incident in July of 1994 where umpires confiscated Belle's bat to be inspected later for cork, and teammate Jason Grimsley crawled above the ceiling tiles with a flashlight in his mouth to access the locked umpires' room to steal the bat and switch it for a different one.

[@stevelangsdorf7307]

Good information on the screwball when I was playing in the 60s and 70s as a lefthanded pitcher it was how I threw naturally, when I was done pitching and played in the outfield (because I could hit) I would have to compensate for it on a hard throw back into the infield especially home, but when tossing the ball it was not an issue. Hardest part was getting infielders and catchers to wait for it.

[@8Jallin]

Astros: we have a new code for that one, Long bang, long bang, short bang.

[@great486]

nah that's their curveball sign

[@8Jallin]

@@great486 my bad.

[@ericgadberry4436]

Life long Mariners fan and watched King Felix pitch his entire career. Felix developed probably thee nastiest circle change ever. It moved exactly like a screw ball.

[@Sampoochy]

Lincecum’s split finger which he used as his change up also behaved in a similar way with break down and in to a righty. I think that plus more guys throwing 2-seamers explains the extinction of the screwball

[@thegreatgonzo6073]

@@Sampoochy That change up was really disgusting when he was pumping upper 90s fastballs. And was probably his only effective pitch once he started throwing 91.

[@auckalukaum]

Greg Maddox has entered the chat.

[@happensq]

Isn't the circle change thrown like a screwball? I think Johan Santana used to throw it like that

[@ericgadberry4436]

@@happensq No. It's a deceptive pitch, not only does it break like a screwball but also the pitcher has the exact arm angle and arm speed as a fastball.

[@mausolos8]

Excellent, interesting topic. Very well done. TY !

[@steveharmon735]

Awesome video. Just subbed. Thank you for info.

[@charlestravis9798]

As a catcher, I had to adjust my throws to 2nd base on steals to account for the screwball drift effect of about a 3’ drift to the right. When I was in the outfield, I had about a 6’-8- drift to home plate from right center. It was a natural throw for me.

[@-Primer-]

Yours was a simple Magnus effect, whereas an screwball has an intentional extra push of the elbow-wrist action to give the ball extra rotations it would not normally get when leaving the hand. Every player throwing a baseball will get the Magnus effect. My Dad is a SC-HOF in Fast Pitch Soft-Ball and could throw a "Riseball" . Something you will never see in Baseball. The ball would move up in the strike zone.

[@jennyvega8]

Fernando Valenzuela is the man!

[@VeN0m88]

Who was better Pedro Martinez or Fernando Valenzuela ? Dont forget Pedro faced the prime of the steroid era.

[@jadeduh4555]

Valenzuela truly was the man. 💪🏼

[@jennyvega8]

@@VeN0m88 that's a good question.

[@jennyvega8]

@@jadeduh4555 yeah he was legit!

[@tzazella751]

finally a segment that embraces baseball from the golden era. thumbs UP

[@8avexp]

What about Tug McGraw? He threw the scroogie, too. Nice choice of music, btw. First movement of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony.

[@jlawrence0181]

I believe that pitchers that you mentioned from Hubbell, Fernando, and Marshall would have no problems with pitching in 2021. Also, remember that Marshall had a PhD in exercise physiology from Michigan State and studied the impact of pitching on pitchers' arms.

[@daveconleyportfolio5192]

Marshall actually champions a pitching method that uses a screwball motion to deliver curves, fastballs and sinkers. He believes that it prevents elbow injuries caused by the traditional breaking ball.

[@shorewall]

@@daveconleyportfolio5192 Yeah, talking about pitches that put strain on the arm, I've heard that about every pitch! :D And short and long pitch counts. No one knows, although everyone has an interest in figuring it out.

[@Johnkoth]

Mike Marshall was the first doctor to rehab a Tommy Johns surgery. He rehabbed Tommy John. Next season Tommy John sit out the whole season and rehabbed. Tommy John did not a innings limit first season back and never had a Tommy John surgery again. The real problem is bad pitching mechanics that put extra stress on the arm. It causes the Injury. The other cause is 50 to 7 pitches before starting the game now a days and for the last 10 yrs or more. So if you throw 100 pitches in game its really total 150 to 170. Plus warm ups. CY Young never had a pitch limit and never had a major arm injury and threw a complete game almost every game he pitched while in a 4 man rotation. Tommy Johns surgery was not a big thing until 2000s.

[@lbcruzn6254]

Yes Humm Baby! When I pitched on the varsity during my high school senior year I threw what you would call a screwball. It broke into and down to a right hitting. Batter and away from a lefty. Was a very effective pitch. I never threw at high velocity and never suffered arm problems. Keep the faith. 😀👍⚾

[@lbcruzn6254]

This so-called screwball pitch was natural by the way I delivered it. Three quarter sidearm. Never intended to throw it that way. The only problem I had as when I filled in for the outfield my throws into the infield would screwball. 😀⚾

[@ryangilbert1951]

Nowadays we call it "tailing" you just had a tailing fastball.

[@lbcruzn6254]

@@ryangilbert1951 You are wright Ryan. That so called screw ball morphed into variations over the years. When I played in the 60's thats what is was called. 😀👍⚾

[@tedter7200]

Greg Maddux was deadly with a backdoor breaking ball to R handed hitters. He would break it back over the outside and leave batters dumbfounded. I can't believe you didn't mention him in your video. Very well done regardless. Enjoyed it.

[@Chasstful]

Greg Maddux's 2-seamer was for all intents and purposes a screw ball. In fact, the 2 seamer is a hard screwball, look at Luis Castillo's 2 seamer, it breaks hard to the arm side

[@zachelkins1229]

I don't really know baseball, but I enjoy all the triva attached to the game. This was neat to see.

[@tkearns4388]

I threw a really good screwball when I pitched back in the day. I even threw a couple no hitters primarily throwing the screwball. But major league scouts weren't impressed with my 84mph fastball nor with my 5'7" height.

[@reececarr2784]

Pretty cool how u made this about yourself. No one asked but hey

[@tkearns4388]

@@reececarr2784 I"m sorry my little story hurt your feelings. But thanks for taking the time to respond to it and then liking your own post.

[@10thletter40]

@@tkearns4388 I mean I liked the story 😅

[@myblacklab7]

84 is actually pretty darn fast - Mark Buehrle made a career out of 84 mph fastballs (mixed with great control and other pitches). I can't find a batting machine that will throw over 80 - I think it's a safety issue.

[@johnconnor7249]

@@reececarr2784 sounds like you’ve got a screwball loose there buddy

[@vestibulate]

Matthewson was said to use the screwball sparingly, which probably heightened its effect. He was also a control pitcher, so he had batters swinging and missing. In fact, his single season NL strikeout record wasn't bested until 1961, by Koufax.

[@georgestevens1502]

Koufax also threw the "screwggie" as Don Drysdale used to call it.

[@AkersJohn]

Great video. Cricket "pace"/fast bowlers (equivalent of pitchers you throw hard) swing the ball both ways, but definitely have a preference/style. I think having "back pocket" screwball for the right moment would be something that could be definitely utilized by pitchers. It shouldn't be relied on though or as you mentioned, it gets scouted and batters have all the info. But 1x/100 pitches is something for sure

[@Rick_King]

I remember how unhittable Fernando was the first few weeks of the 1981 season. His screwball baffled almost everybody. And I can remember watching a Dodgers game back in the 60s while visiting my grandmother. Vin Scully referred to the Dodgers' ace reliever as a "screwball pitcher," and my grandmother just thought that was so rude!

[@oilersridersbluejays]

Reminds me of the knuckleball, seldom seen and reminds me of a bygone era. Come to think of it, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a forkball being used regularly.

[@okgotohell22]

Don’t most guys just use the splitter instead?

[@johngurlides9157]

Hmmm... forkball... Lindy McDaniel?

[@seththomas9105]

Forkball.... I member the 70's.

[@gregmather3343]

The good ol knuckleball is still my favorite ❤ Especially since it doesn't wear out a pitcher's arm at all.

[@tinman8518]

@@gregmather3343 Can you imagine being the catcher though? LOL

[@whitneymacdonald4396]

I threw it in HS (not that I was very good or that mine broke like that) and I loved throwing it to righthanded hitters. It would consistently jam them- throw it inner half and it ended up on their fists. Never had arm problems. It's not that hard to throw as your arm pronates naturally when you throw anyway. I just started over-emphasizing that twist. Never really thought about it, just liked it. It's a fun pitch. Of course there weren't scouting reports on me and I never threw high innings (like I said, I wasn't that good).

[@dannymaguire879]

It is all in the mechanics to make it move, and it literally has to be thrown straight over the top. I found when I got tired it was basically an ineffective pitch, so I would use the pitch early and often. A good pitch to keep hitters honest and establish the inside corner. Lefties were convinced I was throwing at them, and righties would no longer lean out over the plate. Now I do not attribute my arm or rather elbow problems to that specific pitch, I just basically threw too much as a kid and at times didn't have the best mechanics. I just threw way too hard and too often, and the coaching was a little suspect in that regard. It was a pitch I could throw for a strike, but almost never did, I would be aiming at the catchers shoulder to lefties and on the black to righties. A purpose pitch, if you will.

[@g-mancollections5264]

Always loved a screwball pitcher. Got to see one live, and it was wicked to watch.

[@notyourfriendbuddy]

I’m not a sports fan but, I always find the history and strategy (particularly of baseball) to be fascinating.

[@johnjaso6685]

Damn Yu Darvish couldn’t throw like that when he was on the Dodgers, but as soon as he leaves he becomes amazing

[@diggsfather]

his 2018 and first half of 2019 for the cubs were complete disasters

[@je7055]

@@diggsfather Took him ages to get his arm right. He threw that pitch every now and then in his early Rangers years and it was beautiful to see. Over in Japan they call it the shuuto

[@seujorge1989]

Love this short documentary, you narrated and researched the screw ball and its history very well. Back when; when I played MVP baseball 2005 with the Manny Ramirez cover. I would change all of my pitchers pitches and the number 1 pitch I would change in these pitchers. Was change the change up for a 2 to 8 if I wanted strike outs or 1 to 7 angle if I wanted ground balls on the screw ball; for me it looked like a more filthy pitch to throw at a batter.

[@jeremeywhite9369]

I don't know if the "Screwball" as its named really went anywhere. The 2-seam fast ball... with the right finger placement, and pressure can produce a gnarly break. Follow that up with a circle change hanging off that back of the pitchers palm, and turn the hand over slightly in delivery and you have a nasty "screwball" break with the speed of a change up that looks like a 2-seam. When I pitched, I would use my 2-seam to set up my change, which in turn set up slider, or curveball. There are so many ways to produce break with a myriad of pitches that some pitches just aren't worth the time to develop. Love this content!!!

[@Glaudge]

question: which of these scenarios would be overall better strategy for both pitching perspective as well as arm health, throwing a screwball from near-vertical release or throwing a fastball from a sidearm release?

[@ZayBurd]

I really loved this video, the kind of quality content baseball needs

[@HummBabyBaseball]

Thanks!

[@rons3634]

Other pitches that wouldn't be "that difficult to handle if they're expecting it" include fastball, curveball, slider, changeup. The only pitch that would be difficult to handle even if the hitter was expecting it is probably the knuckleball.

[@stevecooper6473]

The Houston Astros proved that.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

It all depends on the Pitcher. Just look at Aroldis Chapman's entire Career. Or Ubaldo Jiminez...or the Sinker Ball Fad years when Brandon Webb and associates were shutting down the league. You knew what was coming with those pitchers, you still couldn't hit it.

[@russs7574]

I think the biggest reason pitchers don't throw screwballs is that it beats the $h!t out of your arm, especially the elbow. Pitching a baseball overhand is unnatural enough, and tears up a pitcher's arm enough as it is without the additional strain of throwing a screwball. There are still a few pitchers that will throw one on occasion, but the last pitcher that I recall who threw a screwball as a regular part of his repertoire was Tug McGraw (and that was a wicked screwball). I know Valenzuela threw one, too, but I can't recall how much of his normal pitching it was. It has been said that Carl Hubbell threw so many screwballs that as he aged, he could not hold his pitching arm in a natural position, with the palm of the hand facing the body...it was naturally turned out. Great video....really liked the one about the knuckleball, too.