Screwball

Screwball

A screwball is a baseball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider.

Effects

Thrown by a right-handed pitcher, a screwball breaks from left to right from the point of view of the pitcher; the pitch therefore moves down and in on a right-handed batter and down and away from a left-handed batter. Thrown by a left-handed pitcher, a screwball breaks from right to left, moving down and in on a left-handed batter and down and away from a right-handed batter.Due to this left to right movement of the ball when thrown by a right-handed pitcher, a screwball is used by right-handed pitchers against left-handed batters in the same way that a slider is used by right-handed pitchers against right-handed batters.

Throwing mechanics

There are several popular grips for the screwball, however this is probably the least important aspect. All that is required is that the fingers have a solid grip on the ball and adequately "grab" it during the period of rotation. Since the rotation is caused solely by the arm movement, precision finger placement is not required. That being said, one easy way to learn the grip would be holding the ball like a two seam fastball, and then moving the ball deeper into the hand. The pitcher's fingers should now arc over the ball (like it would with a curveball grip), but be directly behind the center of the ball (like a fastball). Putting the ball deep in the hand will not allow for proper "grab" on the ball and will provide maximum rotation (if thrown as suggested). If the ball is gripped with a standard fastball grip, the movement of pitch will be diminished and will be more like a fastball tailing inside to a right handed batter. Such movement may not be desired, depending upon the pitcher's goal.


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  • Screwball — Comedy bezeichnet eine spezielle Unterart der Filmkomödie Hollywoods, die ihren Höhepunkt von Mitte der 1930er bis Anfang der 1940er Jahre erlebte. Der englische Slang Ausdruck „Screwball“ beschreibt eine Person mit eigenartigen bzw. skurrilen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Screwball — Screwball, n. 1. an eccentric or crazy person; an oddball. 2. a baseball pitch that curves in the direction opposite to that of a curve ball. adj. eccentric; zany; crazy. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • screwball — (n.) eccentric person, 1933, U.S. slang, earlier as a type of erratic baseball pitch (1928), from a still earlier name for a type of delivery in cricket (1866), from SCREW (Cf. screw) (n.) + BALL (Cf. ball) (n.1). Screwball comedy is attested… …   Etymology dictionary

  • screwball — informal, chiefly N. Amer. ► NOUN ▪ a crazy or eccentric person. ► ADJECTIVE 1) crazy; absurd. 2) referring to a style of fast moving comedy film involving eccentric characters or ridiculous situations …   English terms dictionary

  • screwball — ☆ screwball [skro͞o′bôl΄ ] n. 1. Baseball a ball thrown by a right handed pitcher that curves to the right, or one thrown by a left handed pitcher that curves to the left 2. Slang a person who seems erratic, irrational, unconventional, or… …   English World dictionary

  • screwball — 1. n. an eccentric person; a clown or a dunce. (Also a rude term of address.) □ Tom is such a screwball! □ Look, you screwball, get out! 2. n. [in baseball] a (pitched) ball that does not travel in a straight line. □ Jim threw another screwball,… …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • screwball — 1. noun /ˈskruːbɔːl/ a) A pitch thrown with added pressure by the index finger and a twisting wrist motion resulting in a motion to the right when thrown by a right handed pitcher. The screwball is not thrown much because it tends to damage… …   Wiktionary

  • screwball — [[t]skru͟ːbɔːl[/t]] screwballs 1) ADJ: ADJ n Screwball comedy is silly and eccentric in an amusing and harmless way. [INFORMAL] ...a remake of a 50s classic screwball comedy. 2) N COUNT (disapproval) If you say that someone is a screwball, you… …   English dictionary

  • screwball — UK [ˈskruːˌbɔːl] / US [ˈskruˌbɔl] noun [countable] Word forms screwball : singular screwball plural screwballs informal someone who behaves in a way that seems strange or slightly crazy. This word is sometimes used as an insult …   English dictionary

  • screwball — /skrooh bawl /, n. 1. Slang. an eccentric or whimsically eccentric person; a nut. 2. Baseball. a pitched ball that curves toward the side of the plate from which it was thrown. adj. 3. Slang. eccentric or whimsically eccentric: What a screwball… …   Universalium

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