On the other hand some pitchers feel more confident throwing the straight 4 seamer in there and taking movement out of the equation. Speed is naturally a very important part of pitching, if not the most important. You might think that the more seams visible in a fastball’s rotation, the more the ball will move; however, it isn’t so. The rotation motion in four-seam fastballs is quite straight, and the ball won’t have much spin. Generally, four-seam fastballs are easier to throw, faster, and have a straighter trajectory, whereas two-seam fastballs that are slower with more movement.

The pitch grips cause the ball to react differentlythough. With fewer seams rotating the pitch will usually drop and move into a right hand batter when the pitch comes over the home plate. When the catcher throws down the old number one and calls for a fastball there are a few general rules to be aware of when deciding whether to throw a 2 or 4 seam.

Like the young Marlin, Flaherty yielded a relatively low liner rate (17.5%) on the pitch, that can be expected to regress upward moving forward. His ability to induce pop ups on the pitch (9.5% pop up rate vs. 4.3% league average) is a real talent that helps to set his two-seamer apart. Whether you’re a little league player, or you’re a Major League Pitcher, the 2 seam fastball vs 4 seam fastball 4 seam pitch is going to be the most used in your arsenal. Without a doubt, you’ll need to use the 4 seam baseball pitch versus the 2 seam pitch more frequently. Some of the hardest pitches to hit are when they are inside. If the batter connects with the ball on an inside pitch, it’s away from the barrel and won’t travel very far, giving the infield an easy out.

For the four-seam fastball, place two fingers across the seams with your thumb underneath. If you rotate the ball 360 degrees towards home plate from this position, you can count the four seams; hence, a four-seam grip. For smaller hands, it is natural to use three fingers on the seam.

Because a 4 seam fastball has no movement, the pressure on each finger before the throw applied to the baseball will be equal. Knowing when to throw a 2 seam fastball compared to a 4 seam fastball is an important skill to harness. If you are behind in the count, it might not be wise to throw this type of pitch as it may “run away” from the strike zone.

Finger pressure plays a large role in determining pitch movement. This pitch category isn’t known for spectacular results. The average two-seamer/sinker posted a whiff rate of only 6.0%, by far the lowest of any pitch type. And the pitch’s contact management performance isn’t spectacular, either – its’ 99 Adjusted Contact Score is almost exactly equal to league average.

In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about throwing a two-seam fastball that goes beyond “dirty” or “nasty” and usually involves embarrassing the batter… You will notice that a two-seam fastball will move or tail. The movement of the two-seamer will be from side to side.

Smith plans to continue his research with colleague Lloyd Smith, a professor at Washington State University. This pitch is slightly more difficult to locate than the four-seamer, but still is thrown with good control. Still a fastball so all force is applied right through the middle of the ball creating backspin with a little extra pressure on the index finger. A 2 seamer should be thrown at or close to maximum velocity while providing added movement. Explore my pitching workouts and throwing programs for players who work hard and don’t make excuses. You will find that this pitch will move based on the amount of pressure you use with your index finger.

Additional grips are provided at the end of this post to give you more options to consider.