gyroball
Sign in to savethumb A gyroball is a rare type of baseball pitch used primarily by players in Japan. It is thrown with a spiral-like spin, similar to bullet from a rifle, or an American football pass. This spin stabilizes the ball in flight, minimizing its deviation from a straight-line path to home plate. The gyroball is sometimes confused with the shuuto, another pitch used in Japan.
~5 min read
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Overview
- Relationship to other pitches
- Appearance in popular culture
- Video games
- Japanese animation
- Pitchers who throw the gyroball
- Notes
- References
- External links
thumb A gyroball is a rare type of baseball pitch used primarily by players in Japan. It is thrown with a spiral-like spin, similar to bullet from a rifle, or an American football pass. This spin stabilizes the ball in flight, minimizing its deviation from a straight-line path to home plate. The gyroball is sometimes confused with the shuuto, another pitch used in Japan.
==Overview== The gyroball pitch was first developed by Ryutaro Himeno, a scientist who used computer simulations to model baseball flight paths, and Kazushi Tezuka, a baseball instructor who developed a throwing technique to pitch a gyroball. The pitch is thrown with a pronated motion of the arm and from a low arm angle, which Himeno and Tezuka argue reduces arm strain.