split-fingered fastball
noun
\ ˈsplit-ˈfiŋ-gərd-
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Definition of split-fingered fastball
: a fastball thrown with the ball gripped as for a forkball so that it drops rapidly as it nears the plate
— called also split-finger, splitter
Examples of split-fingered fastball in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Put on 15 pounds and work on a split-finger fastball ... — Dan Brechlin, courant.com, "Meet the 2019 All-Courant spring high school athletes of the year," 2 Aug. 2019 While his standout pitch, the split-finger fastball, has eluded him much of the season, Tanaka has been the Yankees’ most reliable pitcher — a 3.81 E.R.A. over a team-high 111 innings — thanks to secondary pitches and guile. — James Wagner, New York Times, "Gio Urshela Keeps Doing All the Little Things for the Yankees," 14 July 2019 The most noticeable difference, other than varying the speeds on his slider and curve, was the unveiling of his split-finger fastball. — Mark Gonzales, chicagotribune.com, "Yu Darvish, Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward fuel the Cubs to a 4-3 victory over the Pirates in their 2nd-half opener," 13 July 2019 And until Posey’s single, Norwood was deceptively successful thanks to use of a split-finger fastball to complement a sharp slider and 96-mph fastball. — Mark Gonzales, chicagotribune.com, "Cubs reliever James Norwood shows promise in his debut: 'He had some great stuff'," 12 July 2018 Jeffress took an unexpected parting gift with him, courtesy of teammate Junior Guerra – the grip on a split-finger fastball. — Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "With addition of split-finger changeup, Brewers reliever Jeremy Jeffress has been dominant," 7 May 2018 His split-finger fastball was devastating, so much so the only pitch as effective that catcher Martin Maldonado could recall was the slider Zack Greinke threw at the height of his powers. — Dylan Hernandez, latimes.com, "Achieving perfection doesn't seem out of the question for Angels' Shohei Ohtani," 9 Apr. 2018 His fastball, meanwhile, sits at 98 mph and routinely touches 100, and his split-finger fastball tumbles out of the strike zone like a drunken acrobat. — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "Forget the Sample Size, Shohei Ohtani Already Looks Like One of Baseball's Best Players," 8 Apr. 2018 The split-finger fastball that served him so well in 2016 never really materialized as a go-to pitch for Guerra this season, and his velocity dropped noticeably as well – not a good sign for a soon-to-be 33-year-old. — Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "2017 Milwaukee Brewers player grades," 7 Oct. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'split-fingered fastball.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for split-fingered fastball
split-fingered fastball
noun
English Language Learners Definition of split-fingered fastball
baseball
: a fast pitch that drops quickly as it nears the batter
See the full definition for split-fingered fastball in the English Language Learners Dictionary