In Pitching a baseball, what is the difference between a slider, curve, breaking and fork?
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pitch_(base...
Is there really a better Starting Rotation than Zito, Cain, Lowry, Morris and Russ Ortiz?
Well a breaking isn't one pitch. It's any of these pitches, plus the gyro (read Jeff Passan's article where he shows what the curve really is...disappointing that it isn't mythical, but it still is a different pitch based on it's spin), curve, slurve, splitter (basically the fork), screwball, and cutter (probably others too).Of the ones you mentioned, the basically break depending on the arm angle of the pitcher, how he snaps his wrist, and the spin on the ball determined by the combination of those two plus the grip the pitcher uses. I won't go into the grips (too hard to explain imo), but basically pressure is applied by certain fingers on certain parts of the ball and its seams to produce the desired sping.
A slider breaks slightly downward, but it's big break is sideways. I'll describe each for a righty pitcher, so just reverse any sideways direction for a lefty. For a righty, the ball's sideways break is, from the pitcher's perspective, from right to left.
There are two types of curves, basically differentiated by the arm angle of the pitcher. Both have the same grip and spin though. In the traditional curve, or 12 to 6 curve (12 on a clock to 6 on a clock is the path the pitcher's arm travels), the movement is a downward break. If you throw with your arm more at an angle, the ball will still break down, but for a righty, from the pitcher's perspective, the ball also breaks a little to the left.
A fork breaks similar, but has a different grip and spin, making it look like a fastball (hence why it is sometimes called a split finger fast ball, although technically I think the two are mildy different in delivery but give the same result). It travels straight but at the last minute it drops rapidly. Curves are GENERALLY slower, lazier breaks, whereas a fork breaks late in the path of the ball. This is the best ground ball inducing pitch, as it looks like a nice fat fastball and at the last minute drops down, causing the batter to swing over the top and miss or hit the very top and ground out. The pitch is described to drop off the table, because you can imagine it's path the same of a ball rolled along a table top and then off the end.
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