Four-seam fastball

Chris Young with the San Diego Padres throws a straight-overhead four-seam fastball during a pregame bullpen warmup.
An animated diagram of a four-seam fastball

A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the fastest ball thrown by a pitcher. It is called what it is because with every rotation of the ball as it is thrown, four seams come into view.[1] A few pitchers at the major league level can sometimes reach a pitch speed of over 100 mph. It is often compared with the two-seam fastball.[2]

  1. ^ "What is a Four-Seam Fastball (FA)?". mlb.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  2. ^ Kindall, Jerry (1988). Baseball: Play the Winning Way. Time, Inc. ISBN 1-56800-000-6.