shown that it puts similar stresses on the elbow throwing a curveball or fastball does. History The curveball is recognized as the first off-speed pitch to be thrown, and it is accredited to Candy Cummings who was playing for the Brooklyn Excelsiors in 1867. However, it was not until he joined the Brooklyn Stars and linked up with catcher Nat Hicks that his curveball was perfected. Hicks was one of the first catchers to squat right behind the batter which made catching the curveball much easier. The slider is the next oldest pitch on record. While the true first to use the slider is largely debated, Chief Bender is cited as the first to throw the slider with his variation known as the "nickel curve." Some argue that George Blaeholder was the first to throw a true, traditional slider in the 1920s while playing with the St. Louis Browns. References Baseball pitching