Pitch Question Screwball

[anotheridiot]

I was listening to our cubs radio broadcast yesterday, they got to talking about not too many pitchers throwing the screwball anymore.

Arent most pitchers that throw cutters actually throwing screwballs?

I know teams like the Baltimore Orioles will not allow their pitchers to throw cutters because they believe it ruins their arms, but I remember back in our parking lot fast pitch days, throwing a screwball by curving your hand thumb first instead of thumb over with a curve ball, so I was just wondering if anyone else considers them the same.

 

[Mondo Jay]

screwballs break the opposite of curves, cutters and sliders.

 

[Howie115]

A screwball and a cutter are definitely not the same.

Former Tigers closer (and 1984 AL MVP) Willie Hernandez threw a screwball as his "out" pitch. I believe former Yankee Sparky Lyle did, too. I'd think a screwball is tougher on the arm than a cutter. The motion of a right arm is a clockwise rotation, and counterclockwise for the left arm. With a screwball delivery, the hand and wrist rotate opposite of these, causing the arm to follow a bit in that opposite direction.

 

[Loneranger]

I don't come here often but I hope like hell the OP is not considered a resident expert. I give him credit though for having the onions to admit he doesn't know wtf a screwball is. Perhaps a glance in the mirror will answer the question. No one throws that pitch anymore becuz it is hell on an arm , not too mention it isn't that great a pitch.
As for Sparky Lyle he threw the best slider of his day and threw it almost exclusively. He did it back in the day when "closers" came in with the bases loaded in the 7th and they finished the game without giving up a run. Ask one of these candyass faggots these days to try that and they'll file a fuckin grievance becuz they don't know their role. Sparky was God back then. Ok that's it for the educational portion of the evening.

 

[DragonfromTO]

I believe that Hector Santiago throws a screwball. I'm not sure if there's still anyone else in the majors that does though.

 

[broncosmitty]

A change up can give a righthander pitcher a similar motion to a screwball(although much more slight) To a righthanded batter with little to no added stress on the elbow, shoulder and arm in general.

Some guys can get similar action with a two seam fastball as well. From what I've been told a cutter is a four seam grip, but tbh, I have no idea how to throw one.

 

[Villain]

I always think of Fernando Valenzuela first, Wikipedia has a nice list:

Screwball - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When I worked with kids I could throw a screwball with these:

 

[romeo212000]

I don't come here often but I hope like hell the OP is not considered a resident expert. I give him credit though for having the onions to admit he doesn't know wtf a screwball is. Perhaps a glance in the mirror will answer the question. No one throws that pitch anymore becuz it is hell on an arm , not too mention it isn't that great a pitch.
As for Sparky Lyle he threw the best slider of his day and threw it almost exclusively. He did it back in the day when "closers" came in with the bases loaded in the 7th and they finished the game without giving up a run. Ask one of these candyass faggots these days to try that and they'll file a fuckin grievance becuz they don't know their role. Sparky was God back then. Ok that's it for the educational portion of the evening.

Jesus, who pissed in your corn flakes this morning?

 

[anotheridiot]

It just got me wondering. Lat 70's when I was in little league, so there were a few pitchers like Tug McGraw that threw it back then. It was not hard for me to throw, and the way pitchers are still going thru TJS made me wonder if cutters are at least close. I guess its more of just the index finger pushing first instead of rotating the arm and elbow.

 

[Loneranger]

Jesus, who pissed in your corn flakes this morning?

fair question. Just read my response you quoted and I did get a bit carried away , no? LOL anyway my apologies to one and all for getting a little overheated about a screwball question. For the record , cutters are wildly overrated imo. Good day.

 

[Loneranger]

A change up can give a righthander pitcher a similar motion to a screwball(although much more slight) To a righthanded batter with little to no added stress on the elbow, shoulder and arm in general.

Some guys can get similar action with a two seam fastball as well. From what I've been told a cutter is a four seam grip, but tbh, I have no idea how to throw one.

cutter is a 2 seam grip which is supposed to add some movement. My experience ,which is vast btw , is it's a difficult pitch to master or at least be effective enough to throw. Now if ya wanna talk changeup I can tell ya we're talking about the best pitch in baseball other than a 99mph FB. If you have ever faced a serious/legit changeup you know what I mean. If I were a kid it's the 1st pitch I would learn to throw and I would throw it until I owned it. It's positively devastating in the right hands.

 

[broncosmitty]

cutter is a 2 seam grip which is supposed to add some movement. My experience ,which is vast btw , is it's a difficult pitch to master or at least be effective enough to throw. Now if ya wanna talk changeup I can tell ya we're talking about the best pitch in baseball other than a 99mph FB. If you have ever faced a serious/legit changeup you know what I mean. If I were a kid it's the 1st pitch I would learn to throw and I would throw it until I owned it. It's positively devastating in the right hands.

So a two seam fastball with action back towards a right handed batter is a cutter?

I thought there was more to it than that. Mariano Rivera en sech.

I recommend throwing that pitch Atleast 40% of the time. Just don't call or think of it as a "cutter".

Gotta be able to control your changeup, but yeah, it's the butter on the bread. I've never showed a single kid how to throw a curve. Or a slider. They figure it out on their own, I'll work with em on it. But not pushing it on anyone. Part of my hatred of "Little League" is kids throwing junk. It's a horrible idea at that age imo. Don't care what Tom House says.