Why is it called an Eephus pitch?

Rip Sewell, a pitcher on the Pittsburgh Pirates, came up with the Eephus pitch in the '40s. The name originates from the Hebrew word “efes,” which means nothing. Since the pitch is seen as a junk pitch since there is nothing special on it, the Hebrew phrase perfectly describes the nothing pitch.

Who named the eephus pitch?

The practice then lay dormant for nearly 40 years until Sewell resurrected it. According to manager Frankie Frisch, the pitch was named by outfielder Maurice Van Robays.

What is the nastiest pitch in baseball history?

Ohtani's splitter might be the most unhittable pitch in baseball. Hitters went 11-for-127 against it this season, an . 087 batting average, with 77 strikeouts. Ohtani dialed this one up to close to 93 mph -- in the same historic start during which he threw 100 mph on the mound and hit a 115 mph homer at the plate.

What is the rarest pitch in baseball?

Definition. A screwball is a breaking ball designed to move in the opposite direction of just about every other breaking pitch. It is one of the rarest pitches thrown in baseball, mostly because of the tax it can put on a pitcher's arm.

What pitch is illegal in baseball?

Rule 8.05(e) Comment: A quick pitch is an illegal pitch. Umpires will judge a quick pitch as one delivered before the batter is reasonably set in the batter's box. With runners on base the penalty is a balk; with no runners on base, it is a ball. The quick pitch is dangerous and should not be permitted.

The Eephus - The Stories Behind Two Infamous Moments in MLB History

Is the eephus pitch Legal?

Is the MLB Eephus Pitch Legal? The Eephus pitch is legal in Major League Baseball to throw. As long as the pitcher does not deceive the batter by slowing down in their pitching rotation, there is no issue. Since there is no minimum speed that a pitcher needs to pitch, a pitcher can mix this pitch in their arsenal.

What's the hardest pitch ever thrown?

The University of Tennessee pitcher uncorked a pitch at 105.5 mph, breaking the college baseball record for fastest-ever recorded pitch. The pitch broke his own record he set in March when he fired a 104 mph fastball against South Carolina.

What is the easiest pitch to hit a homerun?

The first pitch that must be mastered is the four-seam fastball. This is usually the easiest pitch to throw for a strike. If released properly, four laces of the ball rotate through the air, helping to keep the throw in line with the target.

What is the toughest pitch to hit?

How do you throw eephus?

Essentially, an eephus is a very slow, very high arcing pitch that will drop down right through the strike zone, throwing the hitter's timing off. You grip the eephus like you would a four seam fastball. Your index and middle fingers should go across the horseshoe of the baseball, with your thumb directly underneath.

How is an eephus pitch a strike?

Holt's first pitch of the inning registered only 31.1 mph, a big loopy eephus with almost 25 feet of vertical drop. In other words, he lobbed a lollipop in there, at something resembling the minimum speed physically possible to get the ball over the plate on the fly. And the umpire called it a strike!

What is high cheese in baseball?

cheese. A fastball, particularly one that is difficult to hit. A fastball high in the strike zone is also called high cheese, and one low in the zone can be called cheese at the knees. 'Easy Cheese' refers to the seemingly effortless motion of a pitcher as he throws a fastball at very high velocity.

Who has the fastest pitch of all time?

Why is a knuckleball so hard to hit?

Why is the Knuckleball So Hard to Hit? The knuckleball pitch is difficult for hitters to hit due to the zigzag behavior that the ball makes when traveling to home plate. Since the pitch has little to no spin, the airflow around the ball moves the ball in all sorts of directions.

What is a backward K in baseball?

In the scorebook, a strikeout is denoted by the letter K. A third-strike call on which the batter doesn't swing is denoted with a backward K.

What is a bloop in baseball?

blooper. A blooper or bloop is a weakly hit fly ball that drops in for a single between an infielder and an outfielder. Also known as a bloop single, a dying quail, or a duck snort. A fielding error.

Who hit the baseball hardest?

Giancarlo Stanton's 119.8 mph HR.

Has anyone ever hit a 600 foot home run?

No estimate has ever been given for its length, although it is safe to say it was easily over 500 feet, and may have approached 600 feet. A tremendous blast by any standards. In a single game Mantle hit two homers that were longer than most major league players hit in a career!

Who can pitch over 100 mph?

Last year 24 pitchers topped 100 miles per hour, none more often than Aroldis Chapman. The Cuban is the physical archetype of the modern pitcher, with shoulders as wide as an NFL linebacker's and an explosive delivery. Chapman holds the record for fastball velocity, hitting 105.1 six years ago.

How fast was Randy Johnson's fastball?

Randy Johnson was known for throwing a fastball that could reach over 100 mph. It's not every day you see a dove explode in front of home plate, and this was all caught on camera.

Why is the Spitball illegal?

The reason why the spitball was banned was that it was regarded as doctoring a baseball. And everything that was considered doctoring a baseball was banned on this day in 1920. Throwing the spitball before that 10th of February 1920 was a common thing. Many pitchers did it.

What is a slurve ball?

The slurve is a baseball pitch in which the pitcher throws a curve ball as if it were a slider. The pitch is gripped like a curve ball, but thrown with a slider velocity. The term is a portmanteau of slider and curve.

Can a pitcher throw underhand in MLB?

An MLB umpire confirmed pitching underhand is allowed.

Who hit the farthest home run ever?

In 1987, Joey Meyer of the minor league Denver Zephyrs hit the longest verifiable home run in professional baseball history. The home run was measured at a distance of 582 feet (177 m) and was hit inside Denver's Mile High Stadium.