baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, the palmball pitch is a type of

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

. It requires placing the baseball tightly in the palm or held between the thumb and ring finger and then throwing it as if throwing a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...

. This takes some of the velocity off the pitch, intending to make the batter swing before the ball reaches the plate. Notable pitchers who have been known to throw the palmball include

Ray Sadecki Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray ...

, Steve Farr,

Robinson Tejeda Robinson Garcia Tejeda (born March 24, 1982) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. Baseball career Philadelphia Phi ...

, Ed Whitson

Edwar Ramírez Edwar Emilio Ramírez (born March 28, 1981) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher. Ramírez appeared in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees (2007–2009) and Oakland Athletics (2010). After finding him ...

Dave Giusti David John Giusti, Jr. (born November 27, 1939) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1962 to 1977, most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won f ...

, Bob Stanley,

Orlando Hernández Orlando Hernández Pedroso (born October 11, 1965), nicknamed "El Duque" (Spanish for "The Duke"), is a Cuban-born right-handed former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Industriales of the Cuban National Series, the New York Ya ...

, Mark Williamson, John Holdzkom,

Randy Martz Randy Carl Martz (born May 28, 1956) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. Career In 1977, after being named the Most Valuable College Player (he went 14–0 for the University of South ...

, reliever Tony Fiore, Bryn Smith, and 1990s reliever Joe Boever. Former Philadelphia Phillies and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

ace

Roy Halladay Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III (May 14, 1977 – November 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies between 1998 and 2013. His nicknam ...

was known to have thrown a palmball early in his career, though he rarely used it later on. Second on the All-Time saves list,

Trevor Hoffman Trevor William Hoffman (born October 13, 1967) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1993 to 2010. A long-time closer, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego ...

, made his palmball changeup his "out" pitch. One of the more recent pitchers to utilize a palmball consistently in their repertoire is Taiwanese pitcher Chih-Wei Hu, who pitched for

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

from 2017 to 2018. In earlier decades, the palmball was thrown by

Ewell Blackwell Ewell Blackwell (October 23, 1922 – October 29, 1996) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed "The Whip" for his sidearm, snap-delivery, Blackwell played for the Cincinnati Reds for most of his career ...

, NL

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

winner

Jim Konstanty Casimir James Konstanty (March 2, 1917 – June 11, 1976) was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball and National League Most Valuable Player of . He played for the Cincinnati Reds (1944), Boston Braves (1946), Philadelphia P ...

, Cy Young Award winner

Jim Palmer James Alvin Palmer (born October 15, 1945) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1967, 1969–1984). Palmer was the winningest MLB pitcher in the ...

, and

Satchel Paige Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction in ...

. In 1968, Red Sox starter

Ray Culp Raymond Leonard Culp (born August 6, 1941) is an Americans, American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (–), Chicago Cubs (), and Boston Red Sox (–). MLB career Ray was ...

turned his career around by developing a palmball. Culp went 16-6 in 1968 and topped the Red Sox in wins from 1968-1970.

Slip pitch

The slip pitch was a similar pitch taught by Paul Richards to many young pitchers throughout Richards' career. As it is very similar to the palmball, slip pitch and palmball are often used interchangeably.

References

{{Baseball pitches Baseball pitches