The forkball is a type of pitch in baseball. Related to the split-fingered fastball, the forkball is held between the first two fingers and thrown hard without snapping the wrist. The forkball differs from the split-fingered fastball, however, in that the ball is jammed deeper between the first two fingers and that the ball starts to dive late comparing to that of splitter. In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. ... A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II St. ... The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. ...

When released, the forkball, a "poor man's knuckleball" has little spin, causing it to "tumble" down through the strike zone. Though a forkball generally is slower than a split-finger fastball, it can be thrown as hard as 90 mph (145 km/h), so it can (like the splitter) look like a fastball until it breaks near the plate. A knuckleball (or knuckler for short) is a baseball pitch thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. ... Strike zone boundaries (MLB) Definition In baseball, the strike zone is a conceptual rectangular area over home plate which defines the boundaries through which a pitch must pass in order to count as a strike when the batter does not swing. ... Home plate is the final base in baseball and related games that a player must touch to score. ...

This is as opposed to the splitter, which "drops off the table" (that is, it suddenly moves down, towards the batter's knees) without any of the knuckle-like tumbling action of the slower, less-spin forkball. A split-finger fastball or splitter, is a pitch in baseball and a variant of the straight fastball. ...

The forkball is favored by several Japanese pitchers. Hideo Nomo features a particularly good forkball in his repertoire. Jose Contreras is another well known forkballer. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Jose Contreras (born December 12, 1971 in Havana, Cuba) is a right_handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who currently plays with the Chicago White Sox. ...

Invented by Elroy Face of the Pittsburgh Pirates

Medical Concerns

The forkball is known to be a cause of the damage of the shoulder or elbow. Famous forkballers, especially Japanese players, have often required surgery to remove bone fractures or to repair damaged tendons several times during their careers.