Had a automn game

General Pitching Topics
#1

it was the first real automn game i had no coaches in dugouts they were playing as home plate umpire 1 base and 3 base. it came out i was the starting pitcher for today, i knew that about 30 minutes before the game started. i ran to the bullpen and started to rush a little ( i was already warmn up doing tosses and stuffs in the infield) i couldnt throw my change up where i wanted and really felt like my curve wasnt bitting. i decided to try some screwballs my father’s friend shown me (he played AA ball for montreal expos.) i really felt like it was working today. so i told my catcher
1 fastball
2 curveball
3 screwball
he was excited, seeing that he never called a game with a guy throwing screwballs, i was more anxious seeing i never threw a screwball in a game.

first batter (righty, im lefty) i threw fastball away for called strike then tried fastball up and in for ball the catcher droipped down the number 3 i felt like a huge rush of adrenaline came up to my ears, so i stepped off the rubber and asked for a new sign, he dropped down the number 3 again i threw it right at the batter he dodged and the ball went straight back to the inside part of the plate for called strike. best feeling i ever had. this game was like friendly in a way so i heared a lot of laughs and cheerings, the batter said what the f_ was that? i threw an other one to the middle of the plate and it curved straight down and away in the dirt for strike 3 swinging. im felt in love with it after that.

i did well going 4 innings (maximum) in a 7 innings game striking out 5 without a base on ball threw 63 pitches and now i never want to pitch like i usually do, i usually just throw change ups all the time i felt like this pitch really gave me an edge. i dont like how it’s known as a arm destroyer though, even though i throw it by pulling down like a curveball should be thrown, the guy that shpwn me how to throw it really knew how to and i’m thinking about going weith this pitch now, i really wonder if thasts something i should do…

#2

Could you post how you were taught to throw your screwball? Perhaps a few pictures of your grip?

#3

Not sure how you get screwball spin by pulling down like a curveball… hmmm, that doesn’t make any sense, I need more explanation. A screwball is based on pronation.

#4

glad to know somebody actually read that haha. the guy im talking about played in the 70s for a AA club. i dont think he used it in games but someone in his team was a left hander that couldnt throw fastballs hard enough to rely on it and got this pitch from somebody else who i dont know his name/story. i get spin around 2-8 on my best ones (been throwing that with friends for like 2 weeks and in this one game). basically what i did was holding it like a curveball but switched my index finger on the seam instead of having my middle finger on it like most people when they throw curveballs. it would look almost like this grip right there

instead of

basically what you want is to get your index finger to hold the ball with thumb underneath. the real screwball thing comes from the release and not everybody can succesfully get the good arm action at first and thats what the guy told me to try it for a while before giving up if i really cared asbout this pitch (which i kinda do now)

first of all you ant to pronate your arm early (i did it before even getting the ball out of my glove) you start your windup and keep that arm pronated, when you come to the release point the thumb-side of your hand should be facing catcher and thats when you pull down making the ball roll over your index finger like it would roll over your middle finger on a curveball situation. the idea of pronating that early comes in so that you dont throw some kind of tailling fastball, the pitch should not come from the tip of your index finger like a sinker or fastballs in general, it should roll over it and get top spin out of it. this release is different from any other pitches and misunderstood but thats about it. dont rush the pitch let it roll smooth and softly.

these are basically the words i got from the man i met he had a baseball in hands though so it was easier to undersand. today at least, it worked and i had a good time feeling like a fernando valenzuela even if i dont throw this pitch anymore that was quit something.

#5

Well I suppose that the screwball if thrown correctly might not kill the arm.

I do have a story though that I heard about the greatest screwballer ever, Carl Hubbel. Well he was soo good for soo long but after he retired, when he would rest his arm so his palm should be down it would face up. That’s how twisted he got.

#6

just woke up, usually after a start my arm is kinda sore but today its allright.im not telling you what i did yesterday was healthy or anything but at least i dont have pain and soreness and im happy with that. i read a little bit about jim mecir yesterday just so maybe i could get something, turns out he says throwing open is better when you throw screwballs it takes pressure off the shoulder. this thing about hubell, i heard it too, though i dont really feel conserned about it since hubbell pitched a lot more in his life then i’ll ever do and if i ever pitch as much sas he did i wouldnt mind getting something like that.