Fastball
The straight power pitch everything else is measured against.
A Fastball flying to home plate in 3D, from the catcher's view.
What it does
The fastball is the hardest pitch in the arsenal. Its spin is a mix of backspin and bullet-like gyro spin, so it stays on a fairly straight line and drops a little less than gravity alone would make it.
How to read it
It looks true out of the hand: no hump, no tilt, and the seams blur evenly. If nothing else gives it away, it is probably the fastball. The danger is being late, not being fooled.
What makes it work
Speed and location do the work. The more of the spin is true backspin instead of gyro, the more the ball carries through the top of the zone.
The numbers
| Speed at release | 65 mph |
|---|---|
| Speed at the plate | 57.6 mph |
| Time to the plate | 0.42 s |
| Spin rate | 1150 rpm |
| Break direction (clock) | 1:00 |
| Spin efficiency | 71% |
| Movement from spin, up or down | 9.1 in up |
| Movement from spin, sideways | 5.6 in to the glove side |
| Total drop with gravity | 25.2 in |
A typical Fastball from a right-handed pitcher at 43 feet in still air, from the AXIS43 flight model. A physics estimate, not a radar reading.