What is the observations of a curveball?

Answer 1

The curveball is a breaking pitch in baseballthrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that impart down and/or sideways spin to the ball. It is therefore considered a type of breaking ball. Contrary to a fastball (which has only back spin), the curveball has a diagonal spin that creates a wake behind the ball, making the pitch drop on its way to the plate. A curveball is used to disrupt the opponent's timing. While it is a good pitch for doing so, it is also a dangerous pitch to throw. The increased topspin of the ball has the potential to gain tremendous backspin off of a batter's bat, giving it much added distance if well hit. For pitchers, it is better to throw a straight breaking ball, one that breaks from high to low as opposed to side to side. The simple argument for this is that the batter has 33 inches to hit a side to side pitch, while only one inch to hit an up to down pitch.