Cut fastball

An animated diagram of a cutter

In baseball, a cut fastball or cutter is a type of fastball that breaks toward the pitcher's glove-hand side, as it reaches home plate.[1] This pitch is somewhere between a slider and a four-seam fastball, as it is usually thrown faster than a slider but with more movement than a typical fastball.[1] Some pitchers use a cutter to prevent hitters from expecting their regular fastballs. A common technique for throwing a cutter is to use a four-seam fastball grip with the baseball set slightly off center in the hand.[2] A batter hitting a cutter pitch often achieves only soft contact and an easy out due to the pitch's movement keeping the ball away from the bat's sweet spot. The cutter is typically 2–5 mph slower than a pitcher's four-seam fastball. In 2010, the average pitch classified as a cutter by PITCHf/x thrown by a right-handed pitcher was 88.6 mph; the average two-seamer was 90.97 mph.[3]

  1. ^ a b Chen, Albert (June 13, 2011). "This Is The Game Changer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  2. ^ Ellis, Steven. "Pitching Grips". thecompletepitcher.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  3. ^ "League Average PITCHf/x Data – TexasLeaguers.com". Texas Leaguers. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.