Screwball
Encyclopedia
A screwball is a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 pitch
Pitch (baseball)
In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. The term comes from the Knickerbocker Rules. Originally, the ball had to be literally "pitched" underhand, as with pitching horseshoes. Overhand throwing was not allowed until 1884.The biomechanics of...

 that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....

 or curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...

. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action.

Carl Hubbell
Carl Hubbell
Carl Owen Hubbell was an American baseball player. He was a member of the New York Giants in the National League from 1928 to 1943, and remained on the Giants' payroll for the rest of his life, long after their move to San Francisco.Twice voted the National League's Most Valuable Player, Hubbell...

 was one of the most renowned screwball pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

. Hubbell was known as the "scroogie king" for his mastery of the pitch
Pitch (baseball)
In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. The term comes from the Knickerbocker Rules. Originally, the ball had to be literally "pitched" underhand, as with pitching horseshoes. Overhand throwing was not allowed until 1884.The biomechanics of...

 and the frequency for which he threw it. Other famous screwball artists included Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...

 winners Mike Cuellar
Mike Cuellar
Miguel Ángel Cuellar Santana [KWAY-ar] was a Cuban left-handed starting pitcher who spent fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles and California Angels...

, Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea is a Mexican former left-handed pitcher, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers.In 1981, the 20-year-old Valenzuela took Los Angeles by storm, winning his first 8 decisions and leading the Dodgers to the World Championship...

 and Mike Marshall.

Effects

When thrown by a right-handed pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

, 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. When 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), right-handed pitchers use a screwball against left-handed batters in the same way that they use a slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....

 against right-handed batters.

Screwball pitchers

One of the first great screwball pitchers was Christy Mathewson
Christy Mathewson
Christopher "Christy" Mathewson , nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", or "Matty", was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire career in what is known as the dead-ball era...

 (1900–1916), whose pitch was then labeled as the 'fadeaway'. Other major league pitchers who have thrown the screwball during their careers include:
  • Carl Hubbell
    Carl Hubbell
    Carl Owen Hubbell was an American baseball player. He was a member of the New York Giants in the National League from 1928 to 1943, and remained on the Giants' payroll for the rest of his life, long after their move to San Francisco.Twice voted the National League's Most Valuable Player, Hubbell...

  • Cy Blanton
    Cy Blanton
    Darrell Elijah Blanton was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies . Blanton batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Waurika, Oklahoma...

  • Luis Arroyo
    Luis Arroyo
    Luis Enrique "Tite" Arroyo, , is a former major league baseball pitcher.-Baseball career:Luis Arroyo, from Peñuelas, Puerto Rico, made his Major League Baseball debut on April 20, 1955. A stocky left-hander, he spent one season primarily as a starter with the St. Louis Cardinals...

  • Jack Baldschun
    Jack Baldschun
    Jack Edward Baldschun was a relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies , Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres ....

  • Bobby Castillo
    Bobby Castillo
    Robert Ernie Castillo Jr. is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins between and . He was in the bullpen for the Dodgers in the 1981 World Series, pitching one inning against the New York Yankees. He also pitched one season in Japan for...

     (taught the pitch to Valenzuela)
  • Mike Cuellar
    Mike Cuellar
    Miguel Ángel Cuellar Santana [KWAY-ar] was a Cuban left-handed starting pitcher who spent fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles and California Angels...

  • Warren Spahn
    Warren Spahn
    Warren Edward Spahn was an American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in the National League. He won 20 games each in 13 seasons, including a 23-7 record when he was age 42...

     (in the second half of his career)
  • Jim Brewer
    Jim Brewer
    James Thomas Brewer was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1960 through 1976, Brewer played for the Chicago Cubs , Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels...

  • Mike Norris
    Mike Norris
    Mike Norris may refer to:* Mike Norris , US baseball player* Mike Norris * Mike Norris , Chief Executive Officer of Computacenter plc....

  • Juan Marichal
    Juan Marichal
    Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Playing for the San Francisco Giants most of his career, Marichal was known for his high leg kick, pinpoint control and intimidation tactics, which included aiming pitches directly at the opposing batters'...

  • Mike Marshall
  • Fernando Valenzuela
    Fernando Valenzuela
    Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea is a Mexican former left-handed pitcher, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers.In 1981, the 20-year-old Valenzuela took Los Angeles by storm, winning his first 8 decisions and leading the Dodgers to the World Championship...

  • Tug McGraw
    Tug McGraw
    Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher and the father of Country music singer Tim McGraw and actor/TV personality Mark McGraw and Cari McGraw...

  • John Franco
  • Willie Hernandez
    Willie Hernández
    Guillermo "Willie" Hernández Villanueva is a former relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs , Philadelphia Phillies , and the Detroit Tigers . He threw and batted left-handed.-Career:...

  • Jim Mecir
    Jim Mecir
    James Jason Mecir is an American former baseball player. He played for five teams in an 11-year career, and retired from the Florida Marlins in . He was a right-handed pitcher....

  • Pedro Martinez
    Pedro Martínez
    Pedro Jaime Martínez is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He is an eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2004 World Series champion...

  • Jeff Sparks
    Jeff Sparks
    James Jeffrey Sparks was a pitcher for the Major League Baseball Tampa Bay Devil Rays.As of May 2007, Sparks was selling home-and-garden products at Lowe's and attending firefighter school while training with former major league pitcher Mike Marshall.- External links :...

  • Daniel Ray Herrera
  • Dallas Braden
    Dallas Braden
    Dallas Lee Braden is a left-handed pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. He was drafted out of Texas Tech University in the twenty fourth round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by the Athletics...

  • Yoshinori Tateyama
    Yoshinori Tateyama
    is a Japanese Major League Baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers.As a sidearm pitcher Tateyama combines a fastball that averages 87 mph with a curveball, and he also pitches a screwball against lefties. While his strikeout totals were average, he got hitters out with his control .On November...

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