The slurve is one of the newer pitches in baseball, but its popularity is beginning to rise. The term "slurve" is derived from a combination of "curve" and "slider", the two pitches that are worked together to throw a slurve. Florida Marlins starter Dontrelle Willis, Minnesota Twins ace starter Johan Santana and Milwaukee Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow use the slurve to great effect. Major league affiliations National League (1993-present) East Division (1993-present) Current uniform Ballpark Dolphin Stadium (1993-present) Major league titles World Series titles (2) 2003 â€¢ 1997 NL Pennants (2) 2003 â€¢ 1997 East Division titles (0) None Wild card berths (2) 2003 â€¢ 1997 The Florida Marlins are a Major League... Dontrelle Wayne Willis (born January 12, 1982 in Oakland, California), popularly known as D-Train, is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Florida Marlins who made his debut in 2003 and went on to win the 2003 World Series. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901-present) Central Division (1994-present) West Division (1969-1993) Major league titles World Series titles (3) 1991 â€¢ 1987 â€¢ 1924 AL Pennants (6) 1991 â€¢ 1987 â€¢ 1965 â€¢ 1933 1925 â€¢ 1924 Central Division titles (3) 2004 â€¢ 2003 â€¢ 2002 West Division titles (4) 1991 â€¢ 1987 â€¢ 1970 â€¢ 1969 Wild... Johan Alexander Santana (born March 13, 1979) is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who plays for the Minnesota Twins. ... Major league affiliations National League (1998-present) Central Division (1998-present) Current uniform Ballpark Miller Park (2001-present) Major league titles World Series titles (0) None NL Pennants (0) None AL Pennants (1) 1982 Central Division titles (0) None AL East Division Champs (1) [1] 1982 Wild card berths (0... Derrick Turnbow (born January 25, 1978 in Union City, Tennessee) is a current right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Milwaukee Brewers. ...

Throwing the pitch

Once the hand is positioned around the baseball properly the next step is to apply pressure in the right spots. The middle finger and thumb should squeeze the baseball hard, while the index finger just rests on top of the baseball. The other unused fingers just set off to the side of the baseball without doing much of anything. There are a few variations to the grip that will affect how it looks out of the hand and the amount of break the ball will have.

The first variation is to use a 2-seam grip instead of the 4-seam. The thumb and middle finger should still dissect the ball and the same type of pressure should be applied. Using this grip will make the pitch slightly slower, but that will allow for a larger break to happen. The other variation of the slurve grip is to use a 4-seam grip and then rotate the ball forward in the hand by 90 degrees.

This is commonly used during little league, and high school. It dosen't hurt your elbow as a curveball does and it has great effect.

Concerns in pitching

In order to master a pitch the pitcher must throw with it constantly, practice the grip repeatedly, teach himself the release point, and understand the mechanics behind the pitch that make it do what it does. The slurve is a difficult pitch to throw because it has a movement that is about half way between a slider and curve ball. The slurve is a pitch that is most effective when used with a knuckle-curve, or a cut fastball. One thing that has been found in common with most pitchers that throw the slurve is that the ball, if not thrown exactly right, has the tendency to come out of the hand with a large circle showing in the spin. This causes it to run flat, making it easy to pull hard, or it will appear very loopy to the batter, making it very easy to be hit a long way.