Baseball pitches

thumb|upright=1.3|A diagram of a 12–6 curveball

in baseball, the act of throwing the ball toward the home plate to start play

The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers", such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the speed, often exceeding , and movement of their fastballs to prevent the ball from being hit. As an alternative to the fastball, pitchers can put more movement on slower thrown balls, or throw them towards the inside or outside of home plate where batters cannot easily reach it.

baseball event resulting in offense advancement due to errant pitching

thumb|National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Fame knuckleballer [[Hoyt Wilhelm shows how he placed his fingers before a pitch.]]

baseball pitch

very low-speed baseball pitch

thumb|The grip used for a changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball.

thumb|Gaylord Perry threw the spitball during his career.

thumb A gyroball is a rare type of baseball pitch used primarily by players in Japan. It is thrown with a spiral-like spin, similar to bullet from a rifle, or an American football pass. This spin stabilizes the ball in flight, minimizing its deviation from a straight-line path to home plate. The gyroball is sometimes confused with the shuuto, another pitch used in Japan.

thumb|267x267px|The grip used for a palmball In baseball, the palmball pitch is a type of changeup. It requires placing the baseball tightly in the palm or held between the thumb and ring finger and then throwing it as if throwing a fastball. This takes some of the velocity off the pitch, intending to make the batter swing before the ball reaches the plate.

The slurve is a baseball pitch in which the pitcher throws a curve ball as if it were a slider. The pitch is gripped like a curve ball, but thrown with a slider velocity. The term is a portmanteau of slider and curve.

type of pitch in baseball

thumb|150px|The grip used for a forkball

A screwball, also called a scroogie, is a baseball and fastpitch softball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action.

type of fastball in baseball

Baseball pitch