One of the greatest influences of the splitter in Japan was Choji Murata, who paired a wicked fastball with a devastating forkball in a 22 year career from 1968 to 1990.
Difference between Forkballs and Splitters: Forkball: lower RPM, power changeup speed, and deeper drop at the plate. Splitter: higher RPM, fastball speed, and less drop yet harder at the plate.
My favorite pitch of all time is Koji Uehara’s splitter from 2013. That thing was magic, and (coupled with Koji’s absurd command) made a guy who generally sat high-80s with his fastball completely unhittable.
I think it’s interesting that a change-up is a US highschool baseball staple but a splitter is considered a difficult and master level pitch and if you want to be good in Japan that’s what you’ll end up throwing and no one uses a change up really
A coach’s kid I played with, who was a legit ace, had the splitter as his #3. His #1 and #2 were 4 seam fastball and 2 seam fastball with run. Never hurt beyond having upper arm soreness and often had to throw 50 bp throws before a game.
That is not true. In Japan, too, children do not throw many breaking pitches when they are boys. In addition, the first breaking pitches learned are often curves and change-ups in order to control the load on the elbow and the pitch. They are a peculiar type of Japanese baseball player, and they are supernumerary. These sentences are machine translated, so detailed sentences may not be accurate.
I have said for many years now that the splitter has been a very underutilized pitch in the US and I never knew why. This answer part of that question for me. As a Cardinal fan I was always aware of how legendary Bruce Sutter’s splitter was. I really hope more pitcher start messing with it and bring it back into the repertoire.
@@PitchingNinjaVideos We used to see forkballs, foshballs, slurves, palmballs, screwballs and knucklers. Dozens of different windups, leg kicks and follow throughs. Pitching today has become totally homogenized.
Typical in america people listens loudest guy that has no proper knowledge about a topic and has some 6th sense that is not based on evidence just coincidents.
I watch the Blue Jays play every night, and I'm still blown away with how long Gausman's split keeps the trajectory of a fastball. I truly believe that the key to getting people interested in pitching is by demonstrating to them the magic of pitch tunneling. If you can, I hope to see in the future a short of the catcher/batters view of a pitcher tunneling his fastball and offspeed. Also, another video you could do to highlight the nuances of pitching is about the perceived velocity of pitches/release points making otherwise 'slow' pitches appear much faster to the batter. Love your channel; one of the big channels keeping baseball relevant on social media.
i'm a mexican pitcher but the screwball and the forkball are my best weapons in the mound and i'm a southpaw who can throw over 94 mph and i don't have any injuries in my elbow and shoulder
@@user-tz9jh6pv2jso you would call it an old way to approach baseball? I understand Ichiro started the trend 20 years ago, but you can still label it as new as this is the first time the entire Japanese team took the spotlight. Until now it’s only been individual players. Great job Japan!
I played through college and faced a few splitters and they absolutely destroyed me. I don't know if it's just because I couldn't recognize it in the slot or it's movement, but it was far and beyond the pitch that ate me up the most. It's cool to see some pro's looking at it again.
You mentioned Bruce Sutter and my jaw dropped. He came to my elementary school and spoke to my class. He introduced himself as a former Washington Senators baseball player. None of us had any idea he was that good of a player though. We were way too little back then. It's also a coincidence you made this video about Japan's splitters, because I was just thinking about that this morning lol.
I wish the teams around him had been better. But I was at the last game of the season when Felix pitched eight and a third innings, and then they brought in JJ so he could get save #40.
While the splitter is a Japanese pitching staple, the conventional wisdom is the same over there, of not learning to throw it until at least high school.
It’s interesting that the splitter became very popular in Japan in the late 80s/early 90s after the success of Mike Scott. Growing up in Japan I remember being amazed that Mike Scott could throw a “forkball” at almost the same speed as a fastball.
Its because in the US, people like Homeruns, strikeouts, perfect games...etc. People here like the big plays and nothing else, the plays that make it in the highlights reels at the end of the day. The reason Japan is so good is beacuse they play small ball, they play as a team. They are not afraid to bunt or to take more pitches to increase the opponents pitch count. Splitters, are so important because in Japan, a ground ball out is as good or even better than a strikeout.
I've been thinking this for the last couple years about how almost if not every pitcher from Japan seems to throw a splitter or fork. and finally decided to look it up, and this was the first page to pop up. Thanks for the great info! I used to throw a shotty fork in high school; have so must respect to Senga with that grip of his 😳 not a chance I could throw that with any form of control.
Just anecdotally, I get the impression that pitchers that frequently use sliders tend to receive more elbow injuries in Japan and have a shorter professional career. Excessive twisting/rotating of the arm does seem to do more damage. Some lefty pitchers like Masa YAMAMOTO said that twisting the other way--like a screw ball--is less stressful on the elbow. As for folk/splitters, there are so many ways to throw it, so it'll really depend on the pitcher. One of the impressive things about Koji UEHARA was that he was able to control the splitter both to the inside and outside.
Tim Lincecum's split-fingered change-up was absolutely devastating during the height of his career, coupled with his high 90s gas and solid 12-6 curve, it was a great combination
I threw a splitter through high school and college, and I couldn't understand why no one else wanted throw it. People would always comment about how much movement there was on it, but no one ever wanted to learn it.
Minor note: The “g” in Sugishita’s name is not a ‘soft g’ but a ‘hard g’, as in “guitar”. You can hear his name called in this Japanese video: ruclips.net/video/OB5A1-GzOVY/видео.html His forkball didn’t have any spin so it was sort of like a knuckle, and he’s quoted as saying he has no idea where the ball would go.
@@PitchingNinjaVideos i think every g is a hard g in japanese spelling, no matter which vowel comes after. for an "english soft g", they just use "j" everywhere. (im a linguistics nerd, so if you have followups, fire away, id love to answer them!)
While the Japanese language is difficult to learn, pronunciation is purely phonetic so is incredibly simple compared to almost any western language. Always cracks me up when I hear Americans mispronouncing very simple Japanese words such as Nissan, Nikon, Hiroshima, Iwate, Tsunami. etc. And yes, g is always hard, ga, gi, gu, ge, go. Also it's funny to find Japanese dictionaries featuring imported words are often incorrect with "Collagen" for example being written in katakana as コラーゲン and spoken with a hard "ge"
I always wondered the same thing. I learned to throw a splitter over 30 years ago, as a little league pitcher at 11 years old. And all the way through my high school career I still used it regularly. Even back then, it seemed like I was one of the few in Vegas throwing it. Everyone else threw a circle change. I preferred to throw it over the top like a fastball, and it was so hard for the batters to pick it up. They either swung over the top of it, or topped a weak ground ball.
I believe that the Japanese ball has smaller seam piles than the American ball, which makes the slider have less bend than the splitters, and thus easier to hit. While very few players in Japanese high schools throw the splitters, they tend to use it more often when they become professional baseball players. On the other hand, players who compete in the MLB, like Ohtani and Darvish, tend to use the slider more frequently.
I could never throw a change up well, once at juco I spent a year throwing a forkball, switched to splitter, quickly became my best pitch. Hard at first to understand, but once you get good at controlling it, it’s a weapon
The 12-6 curve and the splitter are two of my favorite pitches to watch, probably because of the ridiculous movement both have when thrown properly. It needs to be utilized more, especially now when hitters are trying to get underneath pitches because of the launch angle movement
The NPB ball by Mizuno is slightly smaller and but has natural tackiness and better grip without foreign substance. Making it easier to spin and manipulate, especially with forkballs and splitters.
Because there are only a few change-uppers in Japan. And also, in the final game, Darvish saved velocity and threw many splitters for Otani’s fastballs and sliders. US pitchers struggled to make each best only…
If I ever have a son , and if he has interest in playing baseball and being a pitcher. Best believe im getting him someone who he can learn the spilt from. I’ve loved the splitter more than a change up. As an Astros fan , I love watching ryne stanek pitch because of it .
Threw my first ever bullpen with a splitter tonight, and MAN! This is my favorite pitch ever! Is so nasty, and even if you don’t hit your spot, a good place splitter will punch anyone out whose not expecting it.
When you’re a complete pitcher, not just a thrower, you utilize north south east and west to cross the hitter up. The splitter is a perfect complement to the fastball (north-south) plus……with a splitter it allows you to take off mph, change of speed so if it doesn’t break as much as you want, you can still get away with it unlike a sinker which closely resembles fastball speed.
I have my own theory on the matter. The actual ball used in the NPB is slightly smaller and has a tackier grip than the MLB equivalent. So, the grip was likely less uncomfortable for Japanese pitchers as the learned their craft. And, as the ball was naturally tackier, they would prefer the split grip over a change-up grip to better effect spin an control of their off-speed offerings.
The ball isn't small, it's actually the same size. it looks like it's smaller because MLB balls have slightly thicker themes. The materials are different too. NPB balls use horse, while MLB balls use cows. MLB balls are more slippery that makes your elbow in danger. That's why alot of MLB pichters needs to have tommy john surgery. They should probably change the ball to the Japanese ones. Then they don't have to think of 100 pitch limits.
It could be Supination Dominant mechanics in Japan are more common. I know Darvish and Ohtani both cut their 4-seam and have it hover around 80%-90% spin efficiency, which is advantageous for Seam-Shifted Wake to affect Splitters. I think. I would have to do more research on it.
I've also noticed that Japanese hitters don't do a wind-up step when swinging. Obviously it works, but it's something I found awkward when I played baseball.
during this WBC there was an argument about the difference between fork and splitter. we japanese get used to fork but not to splitter so some concluded its where you're I dont know if its true.
Official baseball ball in US is more slippery than the one in Japan, so I think Japanese pitchers don't get injured so much and when they come to US they get injured soon.
It is generally said that splitting puts a strain on the elbow, but the pitcher who knows the risk and is prepared to pitch is qualified to be a first-class pitcher.
I think Mike Scott would say he preferred being the All Star Mike Scott, who eventually got hurt, than being the old crappy Mike Scott through an uninjured career.
The split is a devastating pitch. I have a hypothesis that the split is superior to a traditional change up, not due to the movement, but due to the ability to throw it to arm side batters. Since the split is using the same fingers and, therefore, hand placement as a fastball, arm side hitters won't pick it up as easy as a circle change which has the ball in a different hand placement than the fastball, making it easier for arm side hitters to pick it up at release.
I wish the knuckleball would make a comeback. Baseball is always better when there are different pitching styles. With a few exceptions, it's pretty much hard fastballs and sliders nonstop
Throwing a knuckleball is like shooting free throws underhanded in basketball. It’s not about the effectiveness, but the perception of feeling dweebish that prevents its usage.
Without watching the video, I think it’s because the pitching motion and ball motion looks like a regular pitch but the ball moves near the strike zone so it’s hard to read.
I believe these US-American coaches are afraid of teaching it because they also don't want to sore up the fingers of their pitchers. In Japan on the other hand, baseballs are smaller in comparison to the ones in the MLB. Senga recently said he won't throw his Ghost Fork, which basically derives from the Splitter, for the rest of Spring Training that often anymore because he basically overstretched his fingers.
If you are a Japanese baseball fan. Try to watch their baseball animes like, Ace on Diamond, Major and One Outs. You will know how obsessed Japan in baseball.
The split grip does look stressful in the fingers, and it’s probably not a easy pitch to control. Japan ran up the score playing in the easiest pool and then played a more competitive game against Mexico and the United States. They do have some certifiable aces there and I saw their split in action, but against 30 teams in the mlb and advanced scouting what worked in japan might be less effective. If a pitcher loses velocity in the mlb, he’ll get punished harder. Even Ohtani gets blown up against a disciplined team like the Astros. Statcast pitching is all about spin rate and velocity. If a npb pitchers throws a low 90s split mlb hitters might learn to lay off the pitch and look for fastballs in favorable counts.
Splitters generally run arm side and usually have substantial drop. You can get that movement with a changeup too depending. But they're different pitches.
I agree it did! Re the screwball, a lot of pitchers throw pronated changeups which is a similar release. Screwballs also got a bad rap for causing injuries
Maybe players in the Americas believe the change up is more useful because of lefty batters, as it break away from them, as opposed to the split which just go down?
MLB ball is slippery, so throwing a splitter puts a lot of stress on the elbow, so major leaguers substitute a changeup. NPB ball is not slippery, so throwing a splitter puts less strain on the elbow.
i love science is constantly evolving. in japan 30 years ago they were afraid of throwing two-seamers or "shuuto" because they would if would ruin your wrist.
Exactly! Too many decisions had been made based on "oh this guy got injured, so it's not safe" vs actually using science. Now we can both look at statistics to see injury rates and also measure the stress on the arm using sensors etc.
yeah yeah splitters are great and all but the people want to see velocity these days, and there ain't any splitters touching 100 wait what? a 101 mile per hour... splitter? by who? oh come on you're making this up, that's the band that made hungry like the wolf!
Meh. It's all cyclical. The splitter was the pitch-du-jour in the MLB back in the latter part of the 80's, then the 90's saw the rise of the cut fastball. Then later the sinker got super popular.
One of the greatest influences of the splitter in Japan was Choji Murata, who paired a wicked fastball with a devastating forkball in a 22 year career from 1968 to 1990.
He passed away last year😢
Murata was the first Japanese player ever to undergo Tommy John surgery
He set his house on fire and died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Difference between Forkballs and Splitters:
Forkball: lower RPM, power changeup speed, and deeper drop at the plate.
Splitter: higher RPM, fastball speed, and less drop yet harder at the plate.
My favorite pitch of all time is Koji Uehara’s splitter from 2013. That thing was magic, and (coupled with Koji’s absurd command) made a guy who generally sat high-80s with his fastball completely unhittable.
He’s a main reason why I walked around school holding a splitter just to get my fingers used to it. Easily my favorite pitch
I think it’s interesting that a change-up is a US highschool baseball staple but a splitter is considered a difficult and master level pitch and if you want to be good in Japan that’s what you’ll end up throwing and no one uses a change up really
A coach’s kid I played with, who was a legit ace, had the splitter as his #3. His #1 and #2 were 4 seam fastball and 2 seam fastball with run. Never hurt beyond having upper arm soreness and often had to throw 50 bp throws before a game.
That is not true. In Japan, too, children do not throw many breaking pitches when they are boys.
In addition, the first breaking pitches learned are often curves and change-ups in order to control the load on the elbow and the pitch.
They are a peculiar type of Japanese baseball player, and they are supernumerary.
These sentences are machine translated, so detailed sentences may not be accurate.
@@user-ebjlmyjlav the machine worked very well
hey that’s not the case. Usually the first breaking ball kids throw in Japan is curve ball. Than a slider, change ups than the splitter.
I have said for many years now that the splitter has been a very underutilized pitch in the US and I never knew why. This answer part of that question for me. As a Cardinal fan I was always aware of how legendary Bruce Sutter’s splitter was. I really hope more pitcher start messing with it and bring it back into the repertoire.
I agree...maybe now we'll see a resurgence?
@@PitchingNinjaVideos We used to see forkballs, foshballs, slurves, palmballs, screwballs and knucklers. Dozens of different windups, leg kicks and follow throughs. Pitching today has become totally homogenized.
Typical in america people listens loudest guy that has no proper knowledge about a topic and has some 6th sense that is not based on evidence just coincidents.
I watch the Blue Jays play every night, and I'm still blown away with how long Gausman's split keeps the trajectory of a fastball. I truly believe that the key to getting people interested in pitching is by demonstrating to them the magic of pitch tunneling.
If you can, I hope to see in the future a short of the catcher/batters view of a pitcher tunneling his fastball and offspeed. Also, another video you could do to highlight the nuances of pitching is about the perceived velocity of pitches/release points making otherwise 'slow' pitches appear much faster to the batter.
Love your channel; one of the big channels keeping baseball relevant on social media.
Nomo’s wind up was fkn WILD 🔥
So lucky to be able to see him pitch many times.
i'm a mexican pitcher but the screwball and the forkball are my best weapons in the mound and i'm a southpaw who can throw over 94 mph and i don't have any injuries in my elbow and shoulder
I'm loving how Japan is showing us Americans a new way to approach baseball. The Splitter, Ohtani, etc. Great job Japan. Much Love!
Ichiro, please
New? You've about 20 years late to the Japanese baseball party, buddy
@@user-tz9jh6pv2jso you would call it an old way to approach baseball? I understand Ichiro started the trend 20 years ago, but you can still label it as new as this is the first time the entire Japanese team took the spotlight. Until now it’s only been individual players. Great job Japan!
I played through college and faced a few splitters and they absolutely destroyed me. I don't know if it's just because I couldn't recognize it in the slot or it's movement, but it was far and beyond the pitch that ate me up the most. It's cool to see some pro's looking at it again.
You mentioned Bruce Sutter and my jaw dropped. He came to my elementary school and spoke to my class. He introduced himself as a former Washington Senators baseball player. None of us had any idea he was that good of a player though. We were way too little back then.
It's also a coincidence you made this video about Japan's splitters, because I was just thinking about that this morning lol.
K is such a good freaking book start to finish. Really gets you into the lineage of each pitch. Sugishita always intrigued me due to that book.
The Diamondbacks just signed a guy who went to Japan after limited time in MLB and developed a splitter there. He's looked very good so far
My favorite pitcher as a kid was JJ Putz. He had amazing entrance music (AC/DC's Thunderstruck) and a nasty splitter when he pitched for Seattle.
I wish the teams around him had been better. But I was at the last game of the season when Felix pitched eight and a third innings, and then they brought in JJ so he could get save #40.
While the splitter is a Japanese pitching staple, the conventional wisdom is the same over there, of not learning to throw it until at least high school.
Finally, Japanese baseball getting the cultural, correct recognition it deserves.
It’s interesting that the splitter became very popular in Japan in the late 80s/early 90s after the success of Mike Scott.
Growing up in Japan I remember being amazed that Mike Scott could throw a “forkball” at almost the same speed as a fastball.
Its because in the US, people like Homeruns, strikeouts, perfect games...etc. People here like the big plays and nothing else, the plays that make it in the highlights reels at the end of the day.
The reason Japan is so good is beacuse they play small ball, they play as a team. They are not afraid to bunt or to take more pitches to increase the opponents pitch count. Splitters, are so important because in Japan, a ground ball out is as good or even better than a strikeout.
I've been thinking this for the last couple years about how almost if not every pitcher from Japan seems to throw a splitter or fork. and finally decided to look it up, and this was the first page to pop up. Thanks for the great info! I used to throw a shotty fork in high school; have so must respect to Senga with that grip of his 😳 not a chance I could throw that with any form of control.
Just anecdotally, I get the impression that pitchers that frequently use sliders tend to receive more elbow injuries in Japan and have a shorter professional career. Excessive twisting/rotating of the arm does seem to do more damage. Some lefty pitchers like Masa YAMAMOTO said that twisting the other way--like a screw ball--is less stressful on the elbow. As for folk/splitters, there are so many ways to throw it, so it'll really depend on the pitcher. One of the impressive things about Koji UEHARA was that he was able to control the splitter both to the inside and outside.
Tim Lincecum's split-fingered change-up was absolutely devastating during the height of his career, coupled with his high 90s gas and solid 12-6 curve, it was a great combination
I threw a splitter through high school and college, and I couldn't understand why no one else wanted throw it. People would always comment about how much movement there was on it, but no one ever wanted to learn it.
Minor note: The “g” in Sugishita’s name is not a ‘soft g’ but a ‘hard g’, as in “guitar”.
You can hear his name called in this Japanese video: ruclips.net/video/OB5A1-GzOVY/видео.html
His forkball didn’t have any spin so it was sort of like a knuckle, and he’s quoted as saying he has no idea where the ball would go.
Thanks! Was looking for a pronunciation on that.
@@PitchingNinjaVideos i think every g is a hard g in japanese spelling, no matter which vowel comes after. for an "english soft g", they just use "j" everywhere. (im a linguistics nerd, so if you have followups, fire away, id love to answer them!)
correct. Eg. Judo-gi, geisha
While the Japanese language is difficult to learn, pronunciation is purely phonetic so is incredibly simple compared to almost any western language. Always cracks me up when I hear Americans mispronouncing very simple Japanese words such as Nissan, Nikon, Hiroshima, Iwate, Tsunami. etc.
And yes, g is always hard, ga, gi, gu, ge, go.
Also it's funny to find Japanese dictionaries featuring imported words are often incorrect with "Collagen" for example being written in katakana as コラーゲン and spoken with a hard "ge"
@@UnshavenStatue You're totally right!
I always wondered the same thing. I learned to throw a splitter over 30 years ago, as a little league pitcher at 11 years old. And all the way through my high school career I still used it regularly. Even back then, it seemed like I was one of the few in Vegas throwing it. Everyone else threw a circle change. I preferred to throw it over the top like a fastball, and it was so hard for the batters to pick it up. They either swung over the top of it, or topped a weak ground ball.
I believe that the Japanese ball has smaller seam piles than the American ball, which makes the slider have less bend than the splitters, and thus easier to hit. While very few players in Japanese high schools throw the splitters, they tend to use it more often when they become professional baseball players. On the other hand, players who compete in the MLB, like Ohtani and Darvish, tend to use the slider more frequently.
imma throw up a big 'ole "Citation Needed" here, if true, that's a massive, massive difference that can't be ignored
Nomo, Sasaki, Uehara were known for their folkballs. Senga is most famous for his folkball so we'll know this season.
MLBのボールは、日本人のピッチャーはよく「とても滑る」と言います。慣れるまでとても時間がかかるし球種も変わると聞いたことがあります
I could never throw a change up well, once at juco I spent a year throwing a forkball, switched to splitter, quickly became my best pitch. Hard at first to understand, but once you get good at controlling it, it’s a weapon
The 12-6 curve and the splitter are two of my favorite pitches to watch, probably because of the ridiculous movement both have when thrown properly. It needs to be utilized more, especially now when hitters are trying to get underneath pitches because of the launch angle movement
I couldn’t wait for your video on this!
PN takes what we are thinking and makes a video on it for us!!
The NPB ball by Mizuno is slightly smaller and but has natural tackiness and better grip without foreign substance. Making it easier to spin and manipulate, especially with forkballs and splitters.
But you want lower spin on those pitches (fork and splitters are low spin rate pitches/sink)...not higher.
U.S ball should be changed to Japanese ball.
U.S ball is a lot more slippery and it causes injury
Because there are only a few change-uppers in Japan. And also, in the final game, Darvish saved velocity and threw many splitters for Otani’s fastballs and sliders. US pitchers struggled to make each best only…
If I ever have a son , and if he has interest in playing baseball and being a pitcher. Best believe im getting him someone who he can learn the spilt from. I’ve loved the splitter more than a change up. As an Astros fan , I love watching ryne stanek pitch because of it .
Intesting. In cricket the “fork style” grip has many different variations across all types of bowlers style
Threw my first ever bullpen with a splitter tonight, and MAN! This is my favorite pitch ever! Is so nasty, and even if you don’t hit your spot, a good place splitter will punch anyone out whose not expecting it.
Good episode with great context!
Loved watching Smoltzie throw his nasty split in the 90s/00s.
When you’re a complete pitcher, not just a thrower, you utilize north south east and west to cross the hitter up. The splitter is a perfect complement to the fastball (north-south) plus……with a splitter it allows you to take off mph, change of speed so if it doesn’t break as much as you want, you can still get away with it unlike a sinker which closely resembles fastball speed.
I wanted to add that a splitter is like a combo change/sinker and also helps right handed pitchers neutralize left handed hitters
I have my own theory on the matter. The actual ball used in the NPB is slightly smaller and has a tackier grip than the MLB equivalent. So, the grip was likely less uncomfortable for Japanese pitchers as the learned their craft. And, as the ball was naturally tackier, they would prefer the split grip over a change-up grip to better effect spin an control of their off-speed offerings.
The ball isn't small, it's actually the same size. it looks like it's smaller because MLB balls have slightly thicker themes.
The materials are different too. NPB balls use horse, while MLB balls use cows. MLB balls are more slippery that makes your elbow in danger. That's why alot of MLB pichters needs to have tommy john surgery.
They should probably change the ball to the Japanese ones. Then they don't have to think of 100 pitch limits.
@@mao5787 but then the MLB couldnt manipulate the games with the baseballs like they do ;)
@@1320crusier gotta say, this sounds like the sad truth
mlb has different problems to address before the sticky substance problem tbh…
It could be Supination Dominant mechanics in Japan are more common. I know Darvish and Ohtani both cut their 4-seam and have it hover around 80%-90% spin efficiency, which is advantageous for Seam-Shifted Wake to affect Splitters. I think. I would have to do more research on it.
Chunichi Dragons legend Shigeru Sugishita threw the first split in Japan
I've also noticed that Japanese hitters don't do a wind-up step when swinging. Obviously it works, but it's something I found awkward when I played baseball.
That’s a really interesting observation.
during this WBC there was an argument about the difference between fork and splitter. we japanese get used to fork but not to splitter so some concluded its where you're I dont know if its true.
Official baseball ball in US is more slippery than the one in Japan, so I think Japanese pitchers don't get injured so much and when they come to US they get injured soon.
Roger Clemens had a nasty splitter which he threw frequently. He had a long career
It is generally said that splitting puts a strain on the elbow, but the pitcher who knows the risk and is prepared to pitch is qualified to be a first-class pitcher.
Tidal forces by the moon cause tommy john injuries
I think Mike Scott would say he preferred being the All Star Mike Scott, who eventually got hurt, than being the old crappy Mike Scott through an uninjured career.
The split is a devastating pitch. I have a hypothesis that the split is superior to a traditional change up, not due to the movement, but due to the ability to throw it to arm side batters. Since the split is using the same fingers and, therefore, hand placement as a fastball, arm side hitters won't pick it up as easy as a circle change which has the ball in a different hand placement than the fastball, making it easier for arm side hitters to pick it up at release.
Great content!
I wish the knuckleball would make a comeback. Baseball is always better when there are different pitching styles. With a few exceptions, it's pretty much hard fastballs and sliders nonstop
Throwing a knuckleball is like shooting free throws underhanded in basketball. It’s not about the effectiveness, but the perception of feeling dweebish that prevents its usage.
gausman is pretty nasty with that. last season, he threw 2 pitches mostly
Without watching the video, I think it’s because the pitching motion and ball motion looks like a regular pitch but the ball moves near the strike zone so it’s hard to read.
The splitter is definitely becoming a Japanese art form. I remember when Matsuzaka’s gyroball blew everyone’s mind.
I believe these US-American coaches are afraid of teaching it because they also don't want to sore up the fingers of their pitchers. In Japan on the other hand, baseballs are smaller in comparison to the ones in the MLB. Senga recently said he won't throw his Ghost Fork, which basically derives from the Splitter, for the rest of Spring Training that often anymore because he basically overstretched his fingers.
If you are a Japanese baseball fan. Try to watch their baseball animes like, Ace on Diamond, Major and One Outs. You will know how obsessed Japan in baseball.
I can’t wait to see U.S vs Japan in next WBC
A cutter that moves down. Honestly surprising it's not more popular.
I wonder how tunneling with a changeup and splitter will work. Either one or the other is used and nobody throws both if I recall correctly.
The split grip does look stressful in the fingers, and it’s probably not a easy pitch to control.
Japan ran up the score playing in the easiest pool and then played a more competitive game against Mexico and the United States. They do have some certifiable aces there and I saw their split in action, but against 30 teams in the mlb and advanced scouting what worked in japan might be less effective.
If a pitcher loses velocity in the mlb, he’ll get punished harder. Even Ohtani gets blown up against a disciplined team like the Astros. Statcast pitching is all about spin rate and velocity. If a npb pitchers throws a low 90s split mlb hitters might learn to lay off the pitch and look for fastballs in favorable counts.
SFFより深く握るフォークボールについては、村田兆治さんが有名だが、杉下茂さんもいた。
村田兆治さんは1976年にフォークボールを習得したが、杉下茂さんは1948年フォークボールを習得し、1949年～1961年、NPB（日本のプロ野球）で活躍した。
杉下さんは、NPB史上初の本格的なフォークボーラーとされ、「フォークボールの神様」と呼ばれている。
驚異的な変化の切れ味、落差を誇るフォークボールを自在に操り、日本球界に絶大な影響を与えた。
村田兆治さんは昨年72歳で亡くなられたが、杉下茂さんは現在97歳でご存命である。
また、
1995年、ロサンゼルス・ドジャースで新人王、奪三振王、ナショナル・リーグからMLBオールスターに出場した野茂英雄さん。
2000年、シアトル・マリナーズで新人王、リリーフ投手中リーグ1位の奪三振率11.20、メジャー新人記録の37セーブ、アメリカン・リーグからMLBオールスターに出場した佐々木主浩さん。
この二人は、アメリカ人には有名であった。
Great video
Roger Clemens threw the splitter to some success.
Yep. One of the best.
0:58 If the splitter was THAT bad, then everyone who throws a splitter would get career ending injuries. I call 100% BS on that one.
Isnt it like a moving changeup?
Hideo nomo signature pitch was a splitter
Is a splitter that runs arm side not just a change-up, in essence?
Splitters generally run arm side and usually have substantial drop. You can get that movement with a changeup too depending. But they're different pitches.
Aroldis Chapman throws a forkball, and everyone saying it's a splitter has never seen the video of it with zero spin.
Yep. But HE calls it a splitter and it's much higher velo than a normal fork. But, yep, it has an extremely low spin rate.
I've read how some people developed a forkball with little to no spin. How devastating would a 85 mph knuckleball be?
what do you think of the screwball ? i think like the splitter it got a bad rap coz of injuries.
I agree it did! Re the screwball, a lot of pitchers throw pronated changeups which is a similar release. Screwballs also got a bad rap for causing injuries
Maybe players in the Americas believe the change up is more useful because of lefty batters, as it break away from them, as opposed to the split which just go down?
always wondered this
My man just quoted himself
World Champs baybeee
Can't argue with results
Takes big hand to throw a decent split. Sutter had huge hands.
with successful of many japanese pitchers throwing nasty splitters, I'd imagine that more US pitchers will start do adopt the pitch
Baseball stereotypes in MLBs in the future. Japanese pitcher starting! batters: yup you dont have to say it.... he throws splitters.
I love when they chase the ball cause one knee down haha
MLB ball is slippery, so throwing a splitter puts a lot of stress on the elbow, so major leaguers substitute a changeup.
NPB ball is not slippery, so throwing a splitter puts less strain on the elbow.
i love science is constantly evolving. in japan 30 years ago they were afraid of throwing two-seamers or "shuuto" because they would if would ruin your wrist.
Exactly! Too many decisions had been made based on "oh this guy got injured, so it's not safe" vs actually using science. Now we can both look at statistics to see injury rates and also measure the stress on the arm using sensors etc.
日本人にとってフォークボールがここまでメジャーになったのは野茂と佐々木(大魔神 )の影響が大きい
実は日本でも一般的な高校レベルだとフォークを投げる投手は多くないです。
リーグのレベルが上がるほどフォークピッチャーが増えてきます
It's quite simple. Japanese pitchers aren't strong in muscles(Shohei is an exception) but clever(Shohei is a good example).
yeah yeah splitters are great and all but the people want to see velocity these days, and there ain't any splitters touching 100
wait what? a 101 mile per hour... splitter? by who? oh come on you're making this up, that's the band that made hungry like the wolf!
Clemens had a nasty splitter
interesting article.
Because a well executed splitter is the best pitch in baseball
Cause Splitters are awesome! Next question.
One of my old pitching coaches played pro in Japan and he threw a splitter but he said the 2 most stressful pitches are a split finger and a fastball
The throw so many splitters because Japan is the origin of Master Splitter
Meh. It's all cyclical. The splitter was the pitch-du-jour in the MLB back in the latter part of the 80's, then the 90's saw the rise of the cut fastball. Then later the sinker got super popular.
the two most unhittable pitches is the SLIDER & SPLITTER according to google
Lincecum had a nasty splitter
Pffft splitter, I wanna see more SLAAIIIIIII-DOHH!!!
I wish the screwball would make a comeback.
George Kirby gonna get cy young vote this year bet
Its almoar scary
They don’t. They throw Forkballs. Splitter and Forkball are not the same pitch.
I discuss it in the video. And no they don't throw forkballs as we'd define them in MLB
I throw a split
is there a country that has players who throw screwballs still and doesnt have a stigma against it? screwballs are awesome.
None apparently, only Otani
Because a fastball and a splitter go hand im hand.
DAIMAJIN SASAKIが凄かった。