# Term for a baseball pitch just thrown 'plainly?' **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [October 15, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047 "2020-10-15T22:05:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/1 "2020-10-15T22:05:34Z")
Is there a baseball term for a pitch that a pitcher just throws plainly and ordinarily - no curve or breaking, not particularly fast (not a fastball) or slow, not an eephus pitch - just a plain lazy pitch thrown squarely down the middle? Such a pitch would be foolish to throw, of course, but I’m sure it happens every now and then. Any name for it? ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/2 "2020-10-15T22:08:11Z")
“A meatball.” ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/3 "2020-10-15T22:10:47Z")
Yeah, it may not really a particular pitch per se, so much as a mistake. What it exactly “is” would be a function of the pitcher’s grip, and what he had intended to throw. Most likely, if it has no break to it, it’s just a crappy fastball, or maybe a “changeup.” It’s also possible that it would be a breaking ball that didn’t break, for whatever reason. FWIW, this site has an explanation of the various pitches, and what they do. [https://lokeshdhakar.com/baseball-pitches-illustrated/](https://lokeshdhakar.com/baseball-pitches-illustrated/) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/4 "2020-10-15T22:14:34Z")
“Batting practice” is what I call them. The hitters seem to agree, based on how far those pitches usually fly. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/5 "2020-10-15T22:40:56Z")
A “grooved pitch” or more colloquially, a “meatball” as noted above. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/6 "2020-10-15T22:45:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Most likely, if it has no break to it, it’s just a crappy fastball Yup. A “batting practice fastball” is a term I’ve heard. It’s closely related to the “hanging slider” in the sense that it’s not very fast (say mid-80s), catches the middle of the plate horizontally, and doesn’t have any break to it. But the other posters are right that the failure mode is different for those two pitches. For the “BP fastball” it’s that the pitcher missed location and doesn’t have elite velocity. For the “hanging slider” the arm action and grip didn’t produce the correct spin to achieve the break (and they also probably missed location). ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/7 "2020-10-16T00:26:53Z")
A home run. Are there any knuckleballers left in MLB? ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/8 "2020-10-16T00:28:54Z")
A 70mph fastball is still a fastball. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/9 "2020-10-16T00:31:31Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Are there any knuckleballers left in MLB? According to [the Wikipedia article on the knuckleball](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knuckleball#Rarity), no, unless you count a third baseman who pitched in a blowout this year: > [@](#): > > As of 2019, [Steven Wright](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Wright_(baseball)) of the [Boston Red Sox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Red_Sox) was considered to be the last active knuckleballer in the MLB; he has since been released from the team. Minor leaguer Mickey Jannis of the [Binghamton Rumble Ponies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binghamton_Rumble_Ponies) also throws the knuckleball. > > On September 20, 2020, the first knuckleball thrown in 2020 was by [Todd Frazier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Frazier), normally a third baseman in a 15-2 blowout loss to [Atlanta Braves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Braves). ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/10 "2020-10-16T01:12:25Z")
Phil Hennigan, a relief pitcher for Cleveland in the early seventies, used to call this sort of pitch a “nudist ball,” because “it has absolutely nothing on it.” ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/11 "2020-10-16T01:15:01Z")
What you’re describing is pretty much called a **Changeup**. A guy throwing high 90s, follows up with a ball in the low 80s and it could actually work well to get a strike. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/12 "2020-10-16T01:27:47Z")
When I played in high school, the coach told fielders to throw with the four seams because it would fly straighter to the first baseman etc. Another term: gopher ball (the batter will “go fer” it because it’s easy to hit) [Appendix:Glossary of baseball jargon (G) - Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary_of_baseball_jargon_(G)) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/13 "2020-10-16T01:44:44Z")
This reminded me of a pitch that was even slower, the intention was to make the ball to get over the plate at a high angle. I still remember hearing the groans, laughs and curses from the crowd, but in an inning the last time the pitcher tried it, the batter swung mightily… and missed, that was the third strike and the third out. I found it, it was LaRoche trowing the slow pitch in 1981. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ikLlRT2j7EQ/maxresdefault.jpg "LaRoche strikes out Thomas on eephus pitch") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikLlRT2j7EQ) Eephus pitch or Moonball? One of the comments: > The moonball. Goes so high you can tie your shoelaces before your swing. THEN you swing and miss so hard at it that you have to tie them again. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/14 "2020-10-16T02:05:03Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > This reminded me of a pitch that was even slower, the intention was to make the ball to get over the plate at a high angle. I’d heard about Gorman Thomas facing the eephus. That was the fifth one in the at bat. > **[Here's Dave LaRoche striking out Gorman Thomas with an eephus pitch for the ages](https://www.mlb.com/cut4/dave-laroche-striking-out-gorman-thomas-with-an-eephus-pitch/c-147989034)** > > The Official Site of Major League Baseball Bill Lee served an eephus to Tony Perez but didn’t fare as well. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Hwy_O4doQh8/maxresdefault.jpg "1975 WS Gm5: Tony Perez hits two home runs") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwy_O4doQh8) IIRC Perez had identified something in Lee’s delivery that was different for that pitch, so he knew it was coming and could adjust his timing. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/15 "2020-10-16T02:08:39Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > I’d heard about Gorman Thomas facing the eephus. That was the fifth one in the at bat. Gorman was (and is still) my favorite baseball player. I don’t think I saw that game in real time, but I remember seeing the highlights afterwards, and he was _so_ mad at having been struck out with those pitches. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/16 "2020-10-16T02:13:15Z")
Oops, posted the wrong video clip: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/sJRXlCeAXPY/maxresdefault.jpg "1975 WS Gm7: Perez crushes a two-run blast to left") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJRXlCeAXPY) ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/17 "2020-10-16T23:16:18Z")
Zach Greinke throws an eephus: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xy5L4L5Q0nY/maxresdefault.jpg "Astros' Zack Greinke throws 54-mph EEPHUS! Then relaxes on field during mound repair") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy5L4L5Q0nY) But, hey, why wouldn’t Greinke throw one? ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2020, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/19 "2020-10-30T19:44:16Z")
[Here’s](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bill+lee+eephus+pitch+world+series&atb=v234-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DsJRXlCeAXPY) an eephus pitch that Red Sox fans still remember. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/20 "2020-11-16T14:11:08Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > > > I’d heard about Gorman Thomas facing the eephus. That was the fifth one in the at bat. > > Gorman was (and is still) my favorite baseball player. I don’t think I saw that game in real time, but I remember seeing the highlights afterwards, and he was _so_ mad at having been struck out with those pitches. Yes, he tossed his helmet into the air and smashed it with his bat. LaRoche did pretty well with the pitch that year; I remember he also got Tony Armas. Eventually the batters changed their approach; settling for singles. Though some sportswriters called the pitch “La Lob”, LaRoche himself called it the eephus pitch. If I remember right, Ted Williams credited his famous [all-star game home run](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH2P7tC1JRw) off Rip Sewell to some advice he’d got to run up on the pitch. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/term-for-a-baseball-pitch-just-thrown-plainly/923047/21 "2020-11-16T19:15:27Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Most likely, if it has no break to it, it’s just a crappy fastball “A fastball that didn’t go very fast” is probably the most accurate term! 🙂