How to Grip and Throw a Gyroball

The gyroball is a baseball pitch imported from Japan by Kazushi Tezuka. The pitch is a combination of myth and mystery. When Daisuke Matsuzaka came to the Boston Red Sox, he had to dismiss the notion that he threw the pitch, according to the New York Times. The truth behind the mystery is that the gyroball is a combination of a changeup and a slider, but without the movement created by either pitch. The trick to the gyroball is that the hitter expects it to move, adjusting their swing, but the pitch goes perfectly straight.

Instructions

    • 1

      Grip the baseball in a fastball grip. The ball can be held in either a four-seam grip, which is across the seams of the baseball, or two-seam grip, holding the ball with the seams. The four seam grip will produce a slider-like spin and will be faster than a two-seam grip. The two-seam grip gyroball will act more like a changeup; its main advantage is the reduction in speed of the pitch.

    • 2

      Think fastball through your windup and into your delivery.

    • 3

      Rotate your arm inwards, forcing the palm away from your body, just before the release of the ball. This motion is very similar to throwing a football where the palm of the hand is outward facing at the release point. This football-like motion is what creates a slider, or spiral spin, on the ball.