Pitchers have their own unique pitching style that involves a combination of different types of pitches, speeds, and movements. Learn about the variety of pitches thrown in Major League Baseball with ThrowBetter. 

The four-seam fastball is one of the most popular pitches thrown in baseball. When this pitch is utilized, the ball typically hits the strike zone fast and straight, causing the batter to hopefully swing and miss. This pitch gets its name from the way the ball looks upon release as the pitcher is able to see the four seams of the ball with every rotation. 

Another frequently thrown, fast pitch is the two-seam fastball. There is more movement on the ball than a four-seam fastball. Where the ball moves is dependent upon whether the pitcher is left-handed or right-handed. 

A cutter is a version of a fastball. When thrown, the ball breaks to the pitcher’s glove-hand side. This pitch is known for breaking bats as the ball goes toward the batter’s hands, usually hitting the handle of the bat when they try to swing. 

When a catcher puts down two fingers, a curveball is about to be thrown. A curveball is a breaking pitch. When a pitcher throws a curveball, the delivery is slower and the ball curves down the plate, deceiving the batter and making it more difficult to hit the ball. 

A screwball is a type of pitch that breaks in the opposite direction of other breaking pitches. This type of pitch is not very common because of the unusual throwing motion that is involved. 

Another type of breaking pitch is called a slider. It has a faster delivery than a curveball and breaks sharper than other breaking pitches. The purpose of this pitch is to deceive the batter as it is thrown hard, but possesses a spin. 

A sinker involves the ball moving downward or sinking toward the plate. If hit, these balls are typically ground balls. If thrown effectively, batters will have difficulty making contact. 

To throw a splitter, the pitcher places their fingers on opposite sides of the ball, thus creating a split. When thrown, the ball makes a sharp drop near the plate.

Knuckleballs are not very common pitches used in gametime situations. These pitches are typically challenging for batters to hit because there is no spin on the ball. The ball moves irregularly as it reaches the plate. 

Changeups are common to a pitcher’s pitching combination. This pitch is one of the slowest thrown in baseball. It is made to look like a fastball, but is instead off-speed, causing confusion to the person at bat. 

As you can see, there are a variety of different pitches that can be thrown during a game of baseball. But, before you can add these pitches to your repertoire, it is important to know the proper throwing techniques. And ThrowBetter can help! Our training tool reinforces the proper arm angle and shoulder rotation. Our headband is adjustable, making it easy to fit anyone and everyone. Not only does the tool work to teach the correct throwing motion, it also creates an opportunity for players to build confidence and spend quality time with others. Reach your arm’s full potential and learn new pitches with the ThrowBetter training tool.