| In baseball, the term pitch is defined as the act of | | | | "out" for the batter, thus ending their half of the |
| throwing the baseball toward home plate where | | | | inning. |
| the batter is waiting to attempt a hit, thus | | | | Fastballs are the most common pitch used in |
| starting a play. The term is derived from the | | | | baseball. It is simply a straight pitch that is thrown |
| Knickerbocker Rules, and the ball was originally | | | | at speeds upward of 90 miles per hour (the |
| pitched underhand, as one would pitch in | | | | greatest pitchers have pitches that regularly reach |
| horseshoes. Overhand pitching in baseball was | | | | over 100 miles per hour). Besides a straight |
| disallowed in baseball until in 1884. | | | | fastball, variations of this pitch include the cut |
| A variety of pitches are used in baseball, all with | | | | fastball, split-finger fastball, and forkball. |
| slightly different speed, trajectory, and angle. | | | | Speeds can be veried as well to make a hitter |
| These variations are used to keep the batter | | | | lose his groove. A fast pitch followed by several |
| from being aware of what to expect and are | | | | slow pitches really irks a batter's timing to the |
| "mixed up" to keep the batter guessing. The point | | | | point where a pitcher can dominate. |
| of all this is for the defensive team to get an | | | | |