.mHQYb header.mlb-header .mlb-header--inner{margin:auto;max-width:none;position:relative;}/*!sc*/ .bZhBFV img{max-width:220px;}/*!sc*/ .hHLkAw input::-ms-clear{display:none;}/*!sc*/ Some more guesses as to who will be on the field at Wrigley on March 30. .hHLkAw input[type='search']{height:32px;-webkit-appearance:none;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb .p-search-item__team-logo{margin-right:15px;max-height:25px;width:25px;}/*!sc*/ .drUhS path{fill:#000000;}/*!sc*/ "No," says Bill James, author of the The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers. You then center the baseball between your three other fingers (as shown in the middle picture above right). He. But you just want to avoid injuries at all costs. .hspSPq svg{padding-top:1px;vertical-align:top;fill:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ Great Split Finger Pitchers Tim Hudson and Carlos Zambrano throw splitters. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__nav-item--spotlight{background-color:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. pic.twitter.com/BjxKBnK0Lw. .blLcNM .content{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-wrap:wrap;-ms-flex-wrap:wrap;flex-wrap:wrap;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;grid-column:1 / span 12;}/*!sc*/ Throw this pitch with the same arm speed and body mechanics as a fastball, only slightly turn the ball over by throwing the circle to the target. A six-time All-Star, Sutter led the National League in saves for five years and won the 1979 Cy Young Award. Splitters are a relatively uncommon offspeed pitch, but they are still used with some prevalence. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__main-nav{background-color:#081c3b;width:145px;-ms-overflow-style:none;}/*!sc*/ After compiling 133 saves for the Cubs -- the second-most in franchise history -- Sutter was acquired by Cards GM Whitey Herzog on Dec. 9, 1980, in exchange for slugger Leon Durham, third baseman Ken Reitz and player-to-be-named-later Ty Waller. @media (min-width:1024px){.mHQYb header.mlb-header.mlb-header--side-nav-open .header__nav-side{display:none;}}/*!sc*/ .blUWSx .share-button__link--message{position:absolute;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;justify-content:center;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;height:100%;left:-105px;bottom:2px;padding:0 5px;border-radius:5px;background:#041E42;color:#ffffff;font-family:"proxima-nova","open Sans","Helvetica","Arial",sans-serif;font-size:12px;}/*!sc*/ .eJdqRG p{margin-top:0;}/*!sc*/ .dLQAwR .contributor__text--twitter{font-size:0.8rem;font-weight:600;}/*!sc*/ You got a bad delivery, youre going to get hurt. He went to his first baseball game at age two. He allowed a career-low three home runs on the season en route to both the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award and the Sporting News Fireman of the Year Award. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. But the beginners curveball is a good place to start. The arm action on this pitch is a little abbreviated at the end. One thing I did with this pitch in college and in professional baseball was to always throw my two-seam fastball to the throwing-hand side of the plate and my four seam fastball to the glove-hand side of the plate. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Post pictures of your pitching grips on mybaseball pitching discussion forums. But if you throw the fastball overhand with enough force, it will appear to rise because it's not dropping as much as the batter's brain thinks it should. Then, he says, you just throw a fastball. .mHQYb input[type='search']::-webkit-search-cancel-button{-webkit-appearance:none;}/*!sc*/ data-styled.g170[id="Styles__TimestampContainer-sc-8rwtua-0"]{content:"hedPca,"}/*!sc*/ The final installment of $9.1 million reportedly was paid to him in 2021. A slider is gripped like a two-seam fastball, but held slightly off-center. He resurfaced for a brief part-time coaching stint in the Cardinals organization, but eventually chose to leave baseball for his wife and children. To the Cardinals, his teammates and, most importantly, the greatest fans in all of sports, we thank you for all of the love and support over the years. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .mlb-header__login-menu__link:hover{background-color:#057AFF;color:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ pre{font-family:monospace,monospace;font-size:1em;}/*!sc*/ A total of $4.8 million would be paid in salary over the six years and the other $4.8 million would be invested into a deferred payment account at 13 percent interest that would pay Sutter $1.3 million a year for the 30 years after the six-year deal ends. Twelve years in the majors and 300 saves later, Sutter had become one of the most dominant relievers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, all because of a different grip on the ball. For a while the splitter was in vogue. Martin taught Sutter the split-fingered fastball a variation of the much older forkball which Sutter picked up quickly. Bruce Sutter passed away today, aged 69, confirmed by the Cardinals' official Twitter account: We are saddened over the passing of Bruce Sutter. .XOHMa{bottom:0;left:0;position:absolute;right:0;top:0;}/*!sc*/ LOUIS -- Bruce Sutter, the Hall of Famer who revolutionized the closer position and the split-fingered fastball and clinched the St. Louis Cardinals' 1982 World Series title 40 years ago this week, passed away at the age of 69 near his home in Cartersville, Ga., on Thursday. It's not. Bruce Sutter, one of the best splitter pitchers in the history of the game, says that it is very important to put your thumb on the back seam, not the front seam. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top .header__nav-top__button-menu--icon span:nth-child(4){top:16px;}/*!sc*/ .hspSPq:hover{cursor:pointer;background-color:#0462CC;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb .p-search-item__image-thumbnail--rounded{background-color:#f7f7f7;margin-top:0;margin-left:0.25rem;height:40px;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;border-radius:50%;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__main-nav ::-webkit-scrollbar{width:0px;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb .p-search__input--sm{font-size:12px;height:30px;min-width:150px;}/*!sc*/ This helps take speed off of the pitch. .mHQYb .p-search__input--icon.close-icon:hover{cursor:pointer;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header.mlb-header--side-nav-open .header__nav-side__nav-item[aria-expanded='true']{-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;}/*!sc*/ A six-time All-Star, Sutter led the National League in saves for five years and won the 1979 Cy Young Award. legend{box-sizing:border-box;color:inherit;display:table;max-width:100%;padding:0;white-space:normal;}/*!sc*/ /*-->*/ @media (max-width:1023px){.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__nav-items--quick--show-revenue .header__nav-top__nav-item{margin-top:-12px;}.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__nav-items--quick--show-revenue .header__nav-top__nav-item__link{padding:0;}}/*!sc*/ At 55 feet the ball dropped clear out of the strike zone. The Washington Senators selected Sutter in the 21st round of the 1970 draft, but because he was not yet 18 years old he was unable to sign a contract. If you have larger hands the pitch is most effective because it should be "choked" deep in the hand. The two pitches are gripped in almost the same way, except a splitter is generally held with more ease and placed toward the top of the fingers. Sutter saved 27 games in 1978, then followed with a Cy Young Award and a National League record-tying 37 saves in 1979. Afraid that the Cubs would deem him unable to pitch, Sutter pursued and underwent surgery on his own. .ezZJVn:hover{cursor:pointer;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .icon-globe{margin-left:32px;}/*!sc*/ The split finger was a dominant pitch for Ron Darling on the 1986 World Champion New York Mets staff. .hHLkAw{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;position:relative;}/*!sc*/ (But I also think this is a great grip for more advanced pitchers to use in a practice setting if you're having trouble with your breaking ball. .ihHuHi{font-size:19px;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:8px;}/*!sc*/ Even though hitters knew it was coming, they still werent able to hit it. However, he was unable to attend the Cards' 40-year anniversary celebration of the 1982 championship team on Aug. 13 because of the lingering illness that ultimately led to his death while in hospice care. It is for sale at a price of $ .99. It bears mentioning that the time missed by de la Rosa and most of the time missed by Matsuzaka resulted from an injury suffered the prior year. @font-face{font-family:'proxima-nova';src:url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-bold-italic.woff2') format('woff2'), url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-bold-italic.woff') format('woff');font-weight:700;font-style:italic;}/*!sc*/ But we stayed in touch and considered each other great friends. @font-face{font-family:'proxima-nova';src:url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-regular-italic.woff2') format('woff2'),url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-regular-italic.woff') format('woff');font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-display:fallback;}/*!sc*/ One thing you can do is apply a thin coat ofnail polishorfingernail strengthener. Former Cubs closer and Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter has died, Cubs 4, Padres 0: The first Spring Training no-hitter in Cubs history. Philadelphias Roy Halladay, the Angels Dan Haren and Bostons Jonathan Papelbon are among the pitchers who still have it in their arsenals, but concerns about the strain it can put on a pitchers arm are prompting some teams to ban their prospects from throwing it. @font-face{font-family:'proxima-nova';src:url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-black-italic.woff2') format('woff2'),url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-black-italic.woff') format('woff');font-style:italic;font-weight:900;font-display:fallback;}/*!sc*/ The pitch that looks like a fastball but falls off the table at the last second was revolutionizing the game, reviving careers and tormenting the unlucky guys standing in the batters box. @media (min-width:1024px){article > header{padding:0;}}/*!sc*/ Bruce and I spent a lot of time together, and I was as close to him as any teammate I ever played with, said Kaat, who spent seven decades in and around Major League Baseball as a player, coach and broadcaster. Like a lot of things in sports, youre desperate and you try a lot of different things and it turned out to work. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. FILE - St. Louis Cardinals ace reliever Bruce Sutter celebrates after the last out in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series at St. Louis, Oct. 20, 1982. body{margin:0;}/*!sc*/ template{display:none;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header [class$='__nav-item__text'],.mHQYb header.mlb-header [class$='__nav-item__link'],.mHQYb header.mlb-header [class$='__button-text']{text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ The grip is similar to the two-seam fastball, but Splitter-heavy pitchers who have developed shoulder and elbow problems include Bryan Harvey, Rod Beck and John Smoltz, who took a break from throwing his splitter after experiencing elbow pain. That's because there is essentially no significant difference between a straight curveball and a beginners curveball, except for the finger placement of your index finger. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__nav-item--mobile-quick-nav{display:inline;}/*!sc*/ .koKsQt{font-weight:600;}/*!sc*/ .fuMUTu{pointer-events:none;width:16px;height:16px;display:inline-block;overflow:visible;fill:#ffffff;stroke:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ data-styled.g29[id="linkstyle__AnchorElement-sc-1rt6me7-0"]{content:"kKeedG,"}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb .p-search__list{z-index:50;min-width:250px;border-radius:6px;-webkit-mask-image:-webkit-radial-gradient(#ffffff,#000000);}/*!sc*/