Curveball
Side spin that sweeps to the glove side, away from a right-handed hitter.
A Curveball flying to home plate in 3D, from the catcher's view.
What it does
The softball curveball spins sideways, around 3 o'clock for a right-handed pitcher. It runs flat across the plate towards the glove side, away from a right-handed batter and in on a lefty.
How to read it
Watch for sideways seams and a pitch that starts at the middle of the plate. It will not stay there: it ends on or off the outside corner. Hitters who dive after it roll it over.
What makes it work
High spin efficiency gives the widest sweep. Thrown with the same arm speed as the fastball, a foot of sideways movement is enough to miss the barrel.
The numbers
| Speed at release | 60 mph |
|---|---|
| Speed at the plate | 53.1 mph |
| Time to the plate | 0.46 s |
| Spin rate | 1300 rpm |
| Break direction (clock) | 3:15 |
| Spin efficiency | 91% |
| Movement from spin, up or down | 1.9 in down |
| Movement from spin, sideways | 13.8 in to the glove side |
| Total drop with gravity | 43.0 in |
A typical Curveball from a right-handed pitcher at 43 feet in still air, from the AXIS43 flight model. A physics estimate, not a radar reading.