Screwball
Arm-side run that bores in on a right-handed hitter's hands.
A Screwball flying to home plate in 3D, from the catcher's view.
What it does
The screwball is the mirror image of the curveball. It spins around 9 to 10 o'clock and runs to the pitcher's arm side, in on a right-handed batter and away from a lefty.
How to read it
It starts over the plate and runs towards the hitter's hands. The seams spin the opposite way from a curveball. Hitters who know it is coming give ground and keep the hands inside.
What makes it work
It works as a pair with the curveball: same start, opposite finish. The later the two paths split, the harder both are to hit.
The numbers
| Speed at release | 59 mph |
|---|---|
| Speed at the plate | 52.2 mph |
| Time to the plate | 0.46 s |
| Spin rate | 1250 rpm |
| Break direction (clock) | 9:30 |
| Spin efficiency | 87% |
| Movement from spin, up or down | 3.1 in up |
| Movement from spin, sideways | 12.5 in to the arm side |
| Total drop with gravity | 39.4 in |
A typical Screwball from a right-handed pitcher at 43 feet in still air, from the AXIS43 flight model. A physics estimate, not a radar reading.