How and why the Mariners brought back the two-seam fastball

The image below, shows where we’d expect a right-handed pitcher’s two-seam movement to show upon a Rapsodo. A left-handed pitcher’s two-seam fastball would be a mirror image of this graphic. To get this pitch to be effective and run the way it’s supposed to, you should place slightly more pressure where did rice pudding originate on the index finger than the middle finger. It should be noted that length of fingers and overall hand size can play a role in how much the ball may move, to some degree. If you throw this pitch to hitters using wooden bats, you may notice several broken bats because of the late break of the ball.

The laminar express is unique in that its behavior depends both on the axis of rotation AND the orientation of the ball. Smith says Bauer and others have had success in the major leagues using this pitch. Gripping a two seam fastball is not much different, besides where you hold the ball. There are no fancy flicks to get the ball to move like other types of breaking pitches.

But that lower velocity came about from less spin which plays well for a 2 seam fastball or sinker. A 2 seam fastball is a pitch designed to be thrown with a lower arm slot and less spin . Tom Seaver a Rawlings man who pitched 20 seasons in Major League Baseball was quoted as saying that “ good rising fastball is the best pitch in baseball”.

As it moves in that direction, it will lose a bit of velocity and move down in the zone. Generally, pitchers will have slightly less control with this pitch because of that movement. This pitch is going to feature more horizontal movement than vertical movement to it. And that horizontal movement will occur towards the arm side of the pitcher. So for example, if a right handed pitcher is throwing a 2 seamer to a right handed batter, the pitch will dart in toward the batter. Historically, the plan with 2 seamers was to keep them low in the strike zone and try to get hitters to hit the top half of the ball for an easy ground out.

This is standard for any two-seam fastball, giving it both a two-seam orientation and its namesake. The movement of the pitch may varies depending on the grips and the pitcher throwing it. The 2-seam fastball is noted in some cases to closely resembles a Sinker or a Shuuto.

Some of the major league pitchers can occasionally pitch up to the speed of 100mph. Usually, its comparison is made with the two-seam fastball. Lastly, I did mention earlier that the 2 seam fastball has recently fallen out of favor in the professional ranks as batters have adjusted to it. However, be sure to remember that most batters out there aren’t professionals. An amateur pitcher could very easily pick up the 2 seamer and reap the benefits of having non-professional hitters hit the top half of the ball and create easy ground outs for your infielders.

Many pitchers like to throw the two seamer inside to hitters. A right handed pitcher will throw it inside to a right handed hitter. Among pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings this year, 42% are throwing both two- and four-seam fastballs, compared to 37% last year.

If you have a fastball that moves and one that you can spot, you have a better chance against any hitter. The two-seam fastball is a great pitch to use if you are ahead in the count. Since the ball will “run” or move, it is best not to use it when you are far behind in the count as it might run out of the zone. The four-seam fastball is the more basic of the two grips and is easier to throw. Just like a changeup, this pitch is slower than a fastball, but thrown with the same arm motion. Moves downward, and depending on the release, will sometimes run in on a right handed hitter .