| Split-finger fastball | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First Seen | |
| Manga | Act I - Chapter 48 |
| Anime | S1 - Episode 17 |
| Notable Users | |
| Pitchers | Hongou Masamune |
The Split-finger fastball, also known as the Splitter is a pitch that became prevalent at the end of the 20th Century. The Splitter behaves like a Straight fastball on its way to the plate, making it looks deceptively similar to a Fastball but breaks down near the plate which can effectively induce swing and misses.
The Splitter is especially effective when used in combination with a good Fastball. Being able to locate the Fastball inside the Strike Zone's corners will force batters to chase the Splitter that comes after the Fastball as it is very difficult for the batter to differentiate between the 2 due to its somewhat comparable velocity of a Fastball.
Grip
The Splitter is gripped very similarly to the Forkball but not as tight or deep between the fingers. The grip allows the pitcher to both inject a good amount of speed on the pitch, unlike the Forkball, and also impart downward spin on the ball, causing the ball to break down at the plate.
Users
| Pitcher | Description | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Hongou Masamune | Hongou's winning shot. Mixing it regularly with his powerful Fastball makes it a devastating weapon for the pitcher. Hongou's Splitter breaks close at the plate at a very high speed making it extremely difficult to read and differentiate it from his fastball. | |
| Furuya Satoru | Furuya's first learnt breaking pitch. Having a powerful fastball as the base, this pitch further increase the effectiveness of his fastball. However, Miyuki also said that the break of Furuya's splitter is so inconsistent making it very difficult to catch.[1] |   |
| Sawamura Eijun | The Splitter is one of the breaking pitches within Sawamura's Numbers. However, this pitch has been unstable up to the Hakuryu's match and was restricted by Miyuki.[2]
After trying to come up with a way to force Ichidaisan batters to swing at pitches they wouldn't otherwise attempt, Sawamura arrived at a modified Splitter grip that would makes his Splitter both has higher velocity as well as arm side movement at the plate, breaking away from a right handed batter. The new pitch was called the No. 9, Revised Splitter, and it has the behaviors of both a Splitter and a 2-seamer.[3] |
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