You asked: Why do baseballs have curves?

The friction between the spinning ball and the air causes the air molecules on the right side of the ball to move backwards. The air molecules on the left side of the ball move forward. … The side of the ball with the most pressure will push the ball towards the side of lower air pressure, causing the ball to curve!

What makes a baseball curve?

When pitching a curveball, the pitcher puts a spin on the ball as it leaves his hand. As it travels through the air, the spin causes the ball to disturb the air around it. Specifically, the spin causes air on one side of the ball to move faster than the other, resulting in uneven pressure on the ball, making it curve.

What does a curveball do?

A curveball is a breaking pitch that has more movement than just about any other pitch. It is thrown slower and with more overall break than a slider, and it is used to keep hitters off-balance. When executed correctly by a pitcher, a batter expecting a fastball will swing too early and over the top of the curveball.

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Why are there seams on a baseball?


Do baseballs really curve?

The curve is real, the team reported, and it happens because when a baseball is spun by the movements of the pitcher’s hand and wrist, a ‘whirlpool’ of air is created that follows with the ball—that whirlpool results in a different amount of air pressure on one side of the ball, which causes it to be pushed in the …

What is a slurve pitch?

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.

Why is it hard to hit a curveball?

Although typically slower than a fastball, the curveball has a spin that causes it to gradually curve as it approaches home plate, only to suddenly “break” at the last moment, often leaving the batter swinging at air. …

What is the difference between a slider and a breaking ball?

A slider is a breaking pitch that is thrown faster and generally with less overall movement than a curveball. It breaks sharply and at a greater velocity than most other breaking pitches.

What’s the difference between a curveball and a slider?

The difference between a slider and curveball is that the curveball delivery includes a downward yank on the ball as it is released in addition to the lateral spin applied by the slider grip. … A slider is thrown with a regular arm motion, just like a fastball.

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Why is there 108 stitches on a baseball?

In total, 108 hand-stitched double stitches are used to cover the baseball. At the MLB level, these red stitches and the rest of what is used in a baseball are stored in temperature controlled facilities and wound under tension so no “soft spots” exist in the ball, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Can the pitcher be on the mound without the ball?

Can a pitcher go to mound without the ball as long as he doesn’t step on the pitching rubber? … The pitcher can go to the mound without the ball as long as he does not stand on, or astride of, the rubber and does not pretend to pitch to the batter.

Why are baseballs so hard?

So why is that the case? For one, the physics are extreme. The velocity of the average fastball in the Major Leagues is more than 90 miles per hour. When the ball whizzes in at that speed from less than 60 feet away, the hitter has about 150 milliseconds to decide whether they want to swing.

What is the rarest pitch in baseball?


How fast should a 16 year old pitch?

Pitching velocity by age in the U.S.

Age Average Velocity¹ Your Goal²
15 70 MPH 75 MPH
16 76 MPH 80 MPH
17 80 MPH 85 MPH
18 83 MPH 88-90 MPH
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What is the fastest curveball ever thrown?

As for the record, it happened in the sixth inning, when Lugo dropped a nasty 1-2 curveball to strike out Miami’s Xavier Scruggs swinging. Statcast™ measured that curve at 3,498 rpm, which is the highest-spin curve we’ve ever tracked.

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