Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch halfway between a curveball and a fastball. When pitched, the slider breaks laterally and down, with more speed than a curve ball but less speed than a fastball. The break on the pitch is shorter than that of a curveball. The release technique of a slider is between a curveball and a fastball. The slider is similar to the cutter, a pitch which is thrown as a fastball, but differs in the sense that a slider tends to be more of a breaking ball. One of the most notable sliders is that of Francisco Rodríguez (K-rod) which comes in looking like a strike and then breaks out of the strike zone. [1]
History
The innovator of the slider is debated, but some source Charles Albert Bender as the first to use the slider, then called a "nickel curve" in the 1910s.[2] Bender used his slider to help him achieve a no-hitter and win 212 games in his career.[3] Bender was the first pitcher to win six World Series games.[2]
References
- ^ "The Mechanics Of A Breaking Pitch", Popular Mechanics, April 1997. Accessed July 6, 2007.
- ^ a b "WISCONSIN Magazine of History",Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Spring 2004 issue. Accessed July 8, 2007.
- ^ "National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Hall of Famer detail",National Baseball Hall of Fame. Accessed July 8, 2007.
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Fastballs | Four-seam · Two-seam · Cutter · Splitter · Forkball · Sinker | |
Breaking balls | Curveball · Knuckle curve · Slurve · Slider · Screwball | |
Changeups | Changeup · Palmball · Circle changeup | |
Others | Knuckleball · Eephus pitch · Spitball · Gyroball · Shuuto |