Why We Don't See This Physics Defying Pitch Anymore – The Mythical Screwball
What happened to The Screwball? It was a pitch that defied logic and physics by breaking like a curveball from the opposite arm. The pitch was thrown by Christy Mathewson, Carl Hubbell, Juan Marichal, Fernando Valenzuela and others of the past. However, in modern baseball, it is very rare. In this HUMM BABY BASEBALL Special, we examine the SCREWBALL and some reasons why perhaps we don’t see it anymore.
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Comment #2000! Thanks for all your support on this video!!
The screwball is not mythical. Used to throw a screwball when I pitched years ago.
It no longer shocks me that we're being gaslit about the screwball after being gaslit about covid for 4 years.
It's hard to catch because it can be unpredictable. Funnily enough it's now very popular as a shot type in soccer outside the box. Goalkeepers don't know where it's going.
I threw a lot of screwballs when I was in LL and BB, I naturally pronate. Part of the reason we don’t see screwballs anymore is the homogenous overtraining on sliders and the weight training that makes those pitches break harder. You really need just a naturally pronating arm/elbow/wrist to make a good screwball pitcher. To get the arm to go both ways requires a real freak of nature.
its all in the arm and finger mechanics…along with everything else…lefty's throw more of a natural screwball IMO
if scientific study shows that the screwball isn't causing injuries, then there's no reason to believe that it does. the only valid reason people shouldn't be throwing it is that it doesn't move enough for their taste.
Now the screw ball is not necessary since you can throw a splitter without twisting your elbow and cause yourself an injury.
Watched this and "I'm screwed!"
Let’s give credit to where “the fadeaway” came from.
Rube Foster.
John McGraw secretly hired him to teach it to a young Mathewson.
I learned to throw a screwball back in the 80’s I had a very good career in High school and Jr College! This pitch was a big success I never had arm problems, I threw 100 pitches of bullpen everyday and long toss I also ran every day something you don’t see pitchers doing anymore! I would love to see a left handed pitcher bring this back! Hey if it worked for Fernando Valenzuela why not! He never had arm problems because of this pitch! Bring it back, as a former pitcher I think this pitch will help anyone especially a left handed pitcher!
Its called a two seam fastball now
Greg Maddux 2 seam fastball broke as good as any screwball I've seen, & was late breaking too, maybe that's the difference. Not quite as much run but close.
Screwball. The only "swear" word my father ever uttered, and I only heard him say it once, when he badly cut his finger on a broken window he was repairing. I think he was berating himself for being careless.