Slurve
Theslurveis abaseballpitch in which thepitcherthrows acurve ballas if it were aslider.[1]The pitch is gripped like a curve ball, but thrown with a slider velocity. The term is aportmanteauofslider and curve.
History[edit]
Johnny Sainof theBoston Braveswas known to throw a slurve in the 1940s.[2]On May 6, 1998,Kerry Woodof theChicago Cubsutilized the slurve in a major-league record-tying 20 strikeout game.[3]Los Angeles Dodgers,Yakult Swallows,andSeibu LionspitcherKazuhisa Ishii,despite his well-documented control problems, used a slurve almost exclusively against left-handers.Alfredo Acevesfrom the Boston Red Sox was also known to throw a slurve.Stephen Strasburgclaims to throw a slurve, although experts still call his pitch a curveball. Hall of Fame relief pitcherGoose Gossagestated that learning how to throw a slurve changed his career in hisYankeeography.BothCy YoungandWalter Johnsonhad slurves in their arsenals and the former is the earliest known user of the pitch, having started his career in 1890.
Notable slurve pitchers[edit]
Concerns in pitching[edit]
Critics of the slurve call the pitch a sloppy slider because of its wide break. They claim that the slurve produces more home runs than a late-breaking slider.[1]The usefulness of the slurve is debated. The slurve is also claimed to cause problems to a pitcher. In 1998,Kerry Woodclaimed his elbow soreness was caused by throwing the slurve.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ab"The Mechanics Of A Breaking Pitch",Popular Mechanics,April 1997. Accessed July 6, 2007.
- ^Liptak, M."Johnny Sain Remembered"Archived2016-11-08 at theWayback Machine,White Sox Interactive.Accessed July 6, 2007.
- ^abKiley, M."Whatever happened to...",Chicago Sun-Times,February 8, 2000. Accessed July 6, 2007.