User:RoshanBhojwani/Off-speed pitch

An Off-speed pitch is a type of  pitch thrown by a baseball pitcher that typically travels significantly slower than any of the following fastballs, shown below, that may be thrown by a pitcher:


 * Four-seam fastball
 * Two-seam fastball
 * Sinker
 * Cut fastball (Also commonly referred to as a "Cutter")

Usually, the purpose of this type of pitch is to throw the hitter's timing off in order to make him or her swing at the pitch too early, causing him or her to miss the pitch. This pitch is commonly thrown after the pitcher has thrown one or a couple of any of the fastballs listed above for strikes, although this pitch can be thrown in the beginning of the hitter's count so that the pitcher can attempt to throw a fastball later in the count in order to make the hitter swing too late at the pitch, thus also causing him or her to miss the pitch.

History
The origins of the first Off-speed pitch can be traced back to as early as the 1870's when the curveball was invented by either Fred Goldsmith or Candy Cummings, which has not yet been determined as of now. By the 1900s, the slider was invented as another Off-speed pitch first thrown by pitcher Charles Bender and later popularized in the 1920s by George Blaeholder. Throughout the 20th century, the invention of many other types of Off-speed pitches, such as the Changeup, occurred throughout time due to baseball pitchers trying out different baseball grips that eventually gained popularity due to their effectiveness in getting the batter out.

Types of Off-speed Pitches
The following pitches shown below represent some of the different types of common “Off-speed” pitches that are thrown by different Major League Baseball pitchers:


 * Changeup
 * Curveball
 * Slider
 * Slurve
 * Split-finger fastball
 * Screwball
 * Knuckleball
 * Forkball
 * Palmball
 * Circle changeup

The pitches shown above qualify as Off-speed pitches, in the context of Major League Baseball, because pitchers normally throw these pitches on average under 90 mph on average whereas the fastballs (except for the split-finger fastball) are thrown above 90 mph on average. Most Off-speed pitches have a tendency to break away from its initial trajectory, making it more difficult for the batter to hit the baseball at the right time and in the right place.

Impact on Pitching in Baseball
Off-speed pitches have given pitchers more of an advantage in trying to get baseball hitter's out by making hitting harder and by making the pitches more unpredictable. The following Major League Baseball pitchers shown below have found and are known for their success in Major League Baseball due to their Off-speed pitches:


 * Jason Schmidt
 * Orlando Hernandez
 * Matt Garza
 * Roy Halladay
 * C.C. Sabathia
 * Johan Santana
 * Kerry Wood
 * Roger Clemens

The pitchers listed above, especially Jason Schmidt, have found success throwing Off-speed pitches by throwing them with just as much force as a fastball. This makes it more difficult for hitters to be able to determine whether a fastball or an Off-speed pitch is thrown when he or she is in the batter's box.