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Pitch Atlas

The Pitch Index

Every accepted pitch by family, plus the honest edges: aliases, illusions, and banned doctored balls. The shelf holds 42 pitches across 5 families; a filed pitch opens its full specimen, and a basic file stays honest until evidence earns more.

42 pitches

Fastballs

9 in family
StandardFour-Seam FastballFiledfour-seamer, heater, four-seam heaterFingertips cross the seam pathStandardTwo-Seam FastballFiledtwo-seamer, moving fastball, running fastballFingers ride the lace tracksNicheSplit-Finger Fastballsplit-finger, splitfinger fastballFingers outside the lace tracksStandardSinkerFiledtwo-seam fastball, sinking fastball, SIFingers ride the lace tracksNicheOne-Seam Sinkerone-seamerStandardCutterFiledcut fastball, FCAliasRunning Fastballmoving fastball, two-seamer, sinkerIllusionRising Fastballriser, high-spin four-seamer, apparent riseNicheRazor Shuutocut shuuto, knife shuuto, high-speed shuuto

Offspeed & changeups

11 in family
StandardStraight (Three-Finger) Changeupstraight change, three-finger change, three finger changeupThree close fingers on the ballNicheFootball Changeupfootball changeFour fingers and more hand surfaceStandardCircle ChangeupFiledcircle change, OK-grip changeupNo Austin grip photo attachedNicheVulcan Change (Split-Change)vulcan change, split-change, Spock changeNicheFoshfosh ball, foshball, fosh changeNicheKick Changekick changeup, spiked changeup (kick variant)NichePalmballpalm ballStandardSplitterFiledsplitfinger, splitNear-extinctForkballFiledghost fork (Senga variant)NicheAirbender (Airbender Changeup)Airbender change, ultra-high-spin changeup, Devin Williams changeup, unicorn changeupNicheDead Fish ChangeupBugs Bunny changeup, extreme-drop changeup

Breaking balls

13 in family
StandardSliderFiledyakker (informal, shared with curve)StandardGyro Slider (Bullet Slider)bullet slider, no-dot sliderStandardSweeperFiledST (Statcast code), sweeping sliderNicheSlurveSV (Statcast code)NicheSlutter (Cut-Slider)cut-slider, cutter-slider hybridStandardCurveballcurve, hook, yakker (informal), Uncle Charlie (informal)Standard12-6 CurveballFiledtwelve-to-six curve, over-the-top curveTwo fingers set against the seamStandardKnuckle-Curve (Spike Curve)spike curve, KC (Statcast code)NicheSlow Curveslow hook, ephus curve (at the slow extreme)Near-extinctScrewballscroogie, fadeaway (historical, Christy Mathewson's term)Not a pitchKnuckle-Slurve ("knuckleslurve")knuckleslurveAliasSlip Pitchslip, Paul Richards slider, Richards slip pitchNicheDeathballDeath Ball, deathball slider, gyro slider (as used in this context)

Specialty

4 in family
Near-extinctKnuckleballFiledknuckler, knuckle ball, the dancerRareEephusFiledblooper, blooper ball, rainbow, rainbow ball, folly floater, LaLobNicheShuutoshoot, shuto, inshootRareGyroballFiledgyro, gyro ball, bullet spin pitch

Banned & doctored

5 in family
BannedSpitballspitter, wet one, spit ballBannedEmery Ball (Scuffball)scuffball, scuff ball, emery board ballBannedShine BallshineballBannedVaseline Ball (Grease Ball)grease ball, greaseball, petroleum ballBannedMudballmud ball

A wing of its own

Lost Pitches of the Negro Leagues

The statistics are being recovered; the technique mostly never will be. A box score survives; a grip does not. So every entry wears a documentation tier (Documented, Partial, or Legend) instead of faking a precision the record cannot support. The tier is the feature.

Enter the wing→· 15 filed

The whole repertoire

Every pitch, by family.

The accepted catalog at a glance, grouped by family and read by how common the pitch is. A solid dot is a filed specimen; a hollow dot is a basic file; a dashed node is an edge case - an alias, an illusion, or a name that is not really a distinct pitch.

Filed specimen Basic file Edge case

Fastballs

9

Thrown to ride, run, or sink. The four-seam is the reference every other pitch is measured against.

Four-Seam FastballTwo-Seam FastballSinkerCutterSplit-Finger FastballOne-Seam SinkerRazor ShuutoRunning FastballRising Fastball

Offspeed & changeups

11

Fastball arm speed, less of the result. The deception is sameness; the ball just arrives slow, or late, or down.

Straight (Three-Finger) ChangeupCircle ChangeupSplitterFootball ChangeupVulcan Change (Split-Change)FoshKick ChangePalmballAirbender (Airbender Changeup)Dead Fish ChangeupForkball

Breaking balls

13

Spin turned sideways or over the top. Sliders cut, curves drop, sweepers sweep, and the names blur where they meet.

SliderGyro Slider (Bullet Slider)SweeperCurveball12-6 CurveballKnuckle-Curve (Spike Curve)SlurveSlutter (Cut-Slider)Slow CurveDeathballScrewballSlip PitchKnuckle-Slurve ("knuckleslurve")

Specialty

4

The outliers: a fluttering knuckleball, a rainbow eephus, and the pitches that travel more on myth than on Magnus.

ShuutoEephusGyroballKnuckleball

Banned & doctored

5

Outlawed in 1920, but never gone from the lore. A scuff, a smear, a shine: movement bought by breaking a rule.

SpitballEmery Ball (Scuffball)Shine BallVaseline Ball (Grease Ball)Mudball