The rarest pitches in baseball are the knuckleball, the screwball, the eephus, the forkball, the true gyroball and a handful of regional or grip variations such as the shuuto and the palmball. They are rare for different reasons: some are extremely hard to control, some put unusual stress on the arm, some only work as a surprise, and some have been replaced by easier pitches that do a similar job. The spitball and other doctored pitches are rarer still, because they have been illegal since 1920.
Below is what each pitch does, how it is gripped, who made it famous, and why so few pitchers throw it today.
The rare pitches at a glance
| Pitch | What it does | Why it is rare | Known for it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knuckleball | Floats with almost no spin and moves unpredictably | Very hard to master and to catch | Hoyt Wilhelm, Phil Niekro, Tim Wakefield, R.A. Dickey |
| Screwball | Breaks toward the pitcher’s arm side, opposite a curveball | Unusual arm action many coaches avoid | Carl Hubbell, Fernando Valenzuela |
| Eephus | Very slow, high-arcing lob | Only works as a surprise | Rip Sewell |
| Forkball | Drops sharply with low spin | Deep grip is hard on the hand; the splitter replaced it | Elroy Face |
| Gyroball | Spirals like a football with little break | Hard to throw on purpose; often more myth than pitch | Discussed widely in Japan and the US |
| Shuuto | Runs in on same-side hitters | Mostly taught in Japanese baseball | Common in Nippon Professional Baseball |
| Palmball | Slow change of pace thrown from the palm | Largely replaced by the modern changeup | Used by several mid-century relievers |
| Spitball | Dives unpredictably from a doctored surface | Illegal since 1920 | Burleigh Grimes, the last legal spitballer |
The knuckleball
The knuckleball is gripped with the fingertips or fingernails dug into the ball, then pushed toward the plate with as little spin as possible. Without spin, air pressure on the seams changes constantly, so the ball flutters and darts late in a way neither the batter nor the catcher can predict. It is thrown slowly, often in the 60s or low 70s mph, which puts little stress on the arm. That is why knuckleballers such as Phil Niekro and Tim Wakefield pitched into their forties.
The same unpredictability is the problem. Knuckleballers walk batters, catchers struggle with passed balls, and teams often assign a specialist catcher with an oversized mitt. Very few young pitchers commit to learning it, so there is rarely more than one or two in the major leagues at a time.
The screwball
A screwball breaks the opposite way from a curveball. For a right-handed pitcher it moves down and in toward a right-handed batter. To throw it, the pitcher turns the hand inward (pronates) sharply at release. Carl Hubbell made it famous in the 1930s, and Fernando Valenzuela’s screwball helped create Fernandomania in 1981.
Many coaches steer young pitchers away from it because of concerns about the arm action, and pitchers can get similar movement from a changeup or a two-seam fastball. As a result, a true screwball is one of the rarest pitches in the modern game.
The eephus
The eephus is a slow, looping lob that can rise well above the batter’s head before dropping into the strike zone. Rip Sewell of the Pittsburgh Pirates made it famous in the 1940s. It relies on shock value: after a series of fast pitches, hitters are thrown off by a pitch that seems to hang in the air. Thrown too often, it becomes an easy pitch to hit, so pitchers use it only occasionally.
The forkball and the splitter
A forkball is jammed deep between the index and middle fingers, which kills spin and makes the pitch tumble downward. Relief pitcher Elroy Face used it with great success in the 1950s. Today most pitchers throw the split-finger fastball instead. The splitter uses a shallower grip, comes out faster, and is easier on the hand, which is why the forkball has almost disappeared.
The gyroball
A gyroball spins like a bullet or a football, with the spin axis pointing toward the plate. That spin produces little break, so the pitch can look like a fastball that suddenly does not behave like one. It attracted huge attention in the 2000s when stories circulated that Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka threw it. In practice, many pitches labelled gyroballs were sliders with a lot of gyro spin. A pure gyroball thrown on purpose is very rare.
Regional and grip variations
- Shuuto: a Japanese term for a pitch that runs in on same-side hitters, similar to a hard two-seam fastball or a screwball-like fastball.
- Palmball: the ball sits deep in the palm and is pushed out slowly, killing speed. Modern circle changeups do the same job with more control.
- Knuckle curve: a curveball thrown with one finger tucked. It is not rare in itself, but it is often confused with the knuckleball, which is a completely different pitch.
The banned pitches
Doctored pitches such as the spitball, emery ball and shine ball were banned in 1920. A group of established spitball pitchers was allowed to keep throwing it for the rest of their careers, and Burleigh Grimes was the last of them when he retired in 1934. Today, applying foreign substances to the ball is illegal, and umpires check pitchers for sticky substances during games.
Why pitches become rare
- Difficulty: pitches like the knuckleball take years to control.
- Arm concerns: coaches discourage unusual arm actions such as the screwball’s.
- Better alternatives: the splitter replaced the forkball; the circle changeup replaced the palmball.
- Surprise value: the eephus only works when hitters are not expecting it.
- Rules: doctored pitches are banned outright.
Young pitchers should build a fastball and changeup first and learn breaking or unusual pitches only under a qualified coach, following pitch-count and rest guidelines to protect the arm.
Learning an unusual pitch safely
- Master a reliable fastball and changeup first, since command of basic pitches matters more than variety.
- Learn the grip from a qualified pitching coach rather than copying videos.
- Throw the new pitch at low effort over short distances before working up to full speed.
- Count the new pitch within your total pitch and throwing limits, not on top of them.
- Stop straight away if you feel elbow or shoulder pain, and get it checked by a doctor or athletic trainer.
Young pitchers should follow age-based guidelines such as MLB and USA Baseball’s Pitch Smart recommendations. Pitches that involve heavy wrist or forearm twisting, such as the screwball, are usually best left until a pitcher is physically mature and working with an experienced coach.
Frequently asked questions
What is the rarest pitch in baseball?
The true screwball and the knuckleball are usually named the rarest, with only a handful of pitchers throwing either at the top level at any one time.
Is the eephus pitch legal?
Yes. It is simply a very slow pitch, and it is legal as long as it follows the normal pitching rules.
Why don’t more pitchers throw a knuckleball?
It takes years to control, it is hard to catch, and teams prefer pitchers with velocity and conventional breaking balls.
