What is a backdoor cutter pitch?
A backdoor cutter is a type of pitch where the ball begins outside the strike zone and crosses in over the outside corner of the plate just before it reaches the catcher.
Is the cutter a good pitch?
Everyone knows that the keeper of the best cutter in Major League Baseball history is none other than New York Yankees longtime closer Mariano Rivera. His cutter is among the most devastating pitches ever thrown, and he forged a Hall of Fame career for himself by using it to shatter bats and get weak ground balls.
What is a cutter in pitching?
A cutter is a version of the fastball, designed to move slightly away from the pitcher’s arm-side as it reaches home plate. Cutters are not thrown by a large portion of Major League pitchers, but for some of the pitchers who possess a cutter, it is one of their primary pitches.
How often did Mariano Rivera throw his cutter?
Rivera threw four-seam and two-seam fastballs as complementary pitches but primarily used his cutter; according to baseball statistics website Fangraphs, Rivera threw at least 82% cutters each season from 2008 to 2013.
Who has the best cutter in baseball?
Best Cutter
- Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees (88.0%, 90.4 MPH, 5.5 wFC, 2.79 wFC/C)
- Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers (89.8%, 91.7 MPH, 21.2 wFC, 1.95 wFC/C)
- Bryan Shaw, Cleveland Indians (79.8%, 92.6 MPH, 3.1 wFC, 0.36 wFC/C)
- Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers (17.8%, 89.7 MPH, 14.9 wFC, 2.20 wFC/C)
What’s the hardest pitch to hit in baseball?
Aroldis Chapman’s fastball is widely regarded as the fastest pitch in MLB today. In fact, even after more than 575 career innings and countless pitches hitting 100-plus mph, he also holds the title this season.
What pitches did Babe Ruth throw?
Ruth, wearing his Yankees uniform, shows how to grip and throw a fastball, curveball and even a knuckleball. When he demos his curveball, Ruth sends one lucky pupil to the plate with a bat — and buckles his knees with a sweeping curve.