Talk:Slider (baseball)/Overview

This text originally appeared at A Complete Overview of the Slider - Smerdis of Tlön (talk) 15:29, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

Some experts would say that a well thrown slider is the most devastating pitch in

baseball. Ted Williams once said how a slider was “the best pitch in baseball” (Ellis,

Para.1). The slider is the third fastest pitch in baseball, just behind the fastball and the cut

fastball (Ellis, Para.2). When thrown correctly, the slider should break sharply down and

away. The slider is a sharp breaking pitch that a pitcher usually uses to set up a fastball,

and throw a hitter's timing off. The main point of the slider is for a pitcher to throw

a fastball and then throw a slider right after it, in the same spot that he previously had

thrown the fastball. This way, the hitter thinks it is a fastball, but in reality, it is not. The

greatest advantage to throwing the slider is the fact that the batter can not tell it is a slider,

until it is too late. The slider looks like a fastball coming out of a pitchers hand, but it is

4-8 mph slower. For the right-handed pitcher, the slider breaks down and away from a

right-handed batter. For the left-handed pitcher, the slider breaks down and away from a

left-handed batter. The great Bob Feller said about the slider,“ The delivery is almost

identical to that of a fastball until the point of release. I think the release can best be

described by comparing it with the passing of a football. The index finger controls the

release, even as it does a football, and the hand is about in the same position” (as quoted

in Neyer, & James, 2004, p. 37). Not only is the slider one of the hardest pitches to

perfect in baseball, it is also prone to giving those who throw it, arm/elbow injury. High

school coaches are very strict about when it is right for a pitcher to start learning how to

throw a slider. A good pitcher with a good slider should be able to change speeds with

the slider, and throw it anywhere he wants to. The pitch has become a favorite of hard

throwers, relief pitchers, and closers. However, Because of the difficulty and the dangers

of throwing this pitch, most pitchers did not bother developing it or making it their

signature pitch.

A study done by Josh Kalk(2008) proves the effectiveness of the slider. Kalk is

the inventor of the PITCHf/x tool. This tool allows pitchers to analyze their pitches for

better effectiveness. In his study, Kalk required at least 200 sliders be thrown. Kalk

addresses why the slider is so effective and what makes it so hard to hit. “Because

sliders tend to stay hidden much farther down the line, a batter who is fooled in the

information-gathering stage has much less time to recover. Pitchers can effectively hide

their sliders because the difference in vertical movement for a slider is much less than

that of a curveball. A fastball will tail into the batter of the same handedness as the

pitcher, but a slider is just the opposite: it tails away from the same batter because of the

different spin applied by the pitcher” ( Kalk, 2008)

The exact inventor of the slider is unknown. Since no data exists to when the first

slider was thrown, we can only speculate on who the founder of this pitch really was.

Some credit the invention of the slider to George Blaeholder in the early 1930’s (Neyer &

James, 2004, p. 37). Blaeholder claims he never did anything to the ball, that it was just

his natural pitching style (Neyer, & James, 2004, p. 37). However, others say that George

Uhle was responsible for the development of this pitch (Neyer, 2004, Para.4). George

Uhle once said about his slider “ It just came to me all of a sudden, letting the ball go

along my index finger and using my ring finger and pinky to give it just a little bit of

twist. It was a sailing fastball, and that’s how come I named it the slider. The

real slider is a sailing fastball ” (as quoted in, Neyer & James 2004, p. 37). We can thank

whoever did invent the slider for adding another dynamic to pitching and the game of

baseball.

After the initial invention of the pitch, the slider did not really catch on. A few

like Red Ruffing and Johnny Allen developed great sliders in the 1930’s (Neyer & James,

2004, p. 38). However, for the most part, pitchers left it alone.  This had a lot to do with

World War II (Neyer & James, 2004, p. 38). Since most great pitchers had either been

drafted or enlisted into the army, there were not a lot of great pitchers playing baseball at

this time (Neyer & James, 2004, p. 38). Over the next thirty to thirty-five years, the slider

took a kind of back seat to other pitches. While some great pitchers did throw the slider,

most did not bother with it, keeping to the old fastball curveball setup (Neyer & James,

2004, p. 39). In the 1950’s, it was even looked down upon by old time pitchers to throw a

slider (Neyer & James, 2004, p. 39). These pitchers gave off the general idea that the

pitch was for "pansies" (Neyer& James, 2004, p. 39). Said tough guy, Sal Maglie, “All

pitchers today are lazy. They all look for the easy way out, and the slider gives them that

pitch” (as quoted in: Neyer, & James, 2004, p. 39). However, beginning in the 1970’s,

things changed (Neyer, 2004, Para.24). People's viewpoint on the slider became more

accepting. Pitchers started developing it as their signature pitch. The 1970’s was one of

the best times for the slider (Neyer & James, 2004, p. 39). It was at this time that Steve

Carleton came into the game with his slider (Neyer & James,2004, p. 39). Noted by

many as the best slider of all time, Carlton dominated hitters with his slider. At the time it

was said to be the toughest pitch to hit in the National League (Neyer & James, 2004, p.

39). Today, the slider is a big part of baseball.  It has changed and progressed from its

original invention to become the great pitch that it is today. It has changed a pitcher’s

game plan and has also changed the way hitters go up against pitchers. It is said that in

order to be an effective relief pitcher or closer in the Major Leagues, a good slider is a

must. Through the years, the slider has grown and changed in many ways. It went from

being one of the most unpopular pitches, to being a favorite of long time great pitchers.

Although the slider has developed and gained in popularity over the last twenty years, we

still have not unlocked the full potential of this pitch. It will be very interesting to see

where this pitch goes and what changes occur with it in the future.

One other aspect to throwing the slider pitch, is the safety of throwing this pitch.

There has been much debate as to whether it is safe to throw a slider. The debate centers

around what age is deemed safe for a pitcher to start learning how to throw this pitch.

Most high school pitchers are discouraged to throw the slider by their coaches. A lot of

high school coaches stay away from this pitch so that they do not hurt the young pitchers

developing arm. It is not until college that pitchers really start to develop this pitch and

have it become a part of their game. Walter Alston(1984), one time Dodgers manager

and author of the book, “The Complete Baseball Handbook” said in his book, “The

general feeling among pitching authorities is that the young pitcher should stay away

from the slider until he is physically equipped and has sufficient talent to throw it

properly” (as quoted in, Neyer & James, 2004, p. 39).

References

Ellis, S. (n.d.). Slider. In Pitching grips- how to grip and throw different pitches. Retrieved September 19, 2009, from http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/_grips.htm

James, B. & Neyer, R. (2004). The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers. New York: Fireside

Kalik, J. (2008, May 22). Slider. In Anatomy of a pitch. Retrieved September 19, 2009, from http://hardballtimes.com///of-a-pitch-slider/