Why is it called eephus?
Rip Sewell, a pitcher on the Pittsburgh Pirates, came up with the Eephus pitch in the ’40s. The name originates from the Hebrew word “efes,” which means nothing. Since the pitch is seen as a junk pitch since there is nothing special on it, the Hebrew phrase perfectly describes the nothing pitch.
Who named the eephus pitch?
Maurice Van Robays
According to manager Frankie Frisch, the pitch was named by outfielder Maurice Van Robays. When asked what it meant, Van Robays replied, “‘Eephus ain’t nothing, and that’s a nothing pitch.” Although the origin is not known for certain, “eephus” may come from the Hebrew word אפס (pronounced EF-ess), meaning “zero”.
Is an eephus a curveball?
Alfredo Simon’s eephus was thrown like a fastball, while Greinke’s was thrown like a curveball! This is a breakthrough in our investigation. Eephuses are thrown like fastballs, and curveballs are thrown like curveballs!
Does a rise ball actually rise?
The rise ball doesn’t actually rise. Although pitchers and batters will swear on their life that this isn’t the case, in reality the Magnus effect doesn’t have a big enough impact to actually make the ball defy gravity. Instead, it only allows the ball to drop considerably less than a player would expect.
What’s a changeup in baseball?
Definition. A changeup is one of the slowest pitches thrown in baseball, and it is predicated on deception. A good changeup will cause a hitter to start his swing well before the pitch arrives, resulting in either a swing and miss or very weak contact.
What is a filthy pitch?
A filthy pitch is basically a get out of jail free card for the guy on the mound. It can also strike fear in every batter around the league because the fact that this guy has a dominate pitch that cannot be touched is always in the back of his mind.
Can a baseball pitcher throw a rise ball?
The myth of the rising fastball When a hitter swings under the ball and misses, baseball announcers sometimes say the pitcher got him with a “rising fastball.” But technically, this pitch cannot exist if thrown overhand–it’s impossible for a pitch thrown downward to buck gravity and achieve upward lift.