In baseball, a slider is a pitch halfway between a curveball and a fastball. When pitched, the slider breaks laterally and down, with more speed than a curve ball but less speed than a fastball. The break on the pitch is shorter than that of a curveball. The release technique of a slider is between a curve ball and a fastball. The slider is similar to the cutter, a pitch which is thrown as a fastball, but differs in the sense that a slider tends to be more of a breaking ball.[1]
History[]
The innovator of the slider is debated, but some source Charles Albert Bender as the first to use the slider, then called a "nickel curve" in the 1910's.[2] Bender used his slider to help him achieve a no-hitter and win 212 games in his career.[3] Bender was the first pitcher to win six World Series.[2]
Citations[]
- ↑ "The Mechanics Of A Breaking Pitch", Popular Mechanics, April 1997. Accessed July 6, 2007.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "WISCONSIN Magazine of History",Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Spring 2004 issue. Accessed July 8, 2007.
- ↑ "National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Hall of Famer detail",National Baseball Hall of Fame. Accessed July 8, 2007.