Gyroball

For the gyroscopic toy, see Powerball (exercise tool).

A gyroball is a type of baseball pitch used primarily by players in Japan. It is thrown with a spiral-like spin, so that there is no Magnus force on the ball as it arrives at home plate.[1] The gyroball is sometimes confused with the shuuto, another pitch used in Japan.

Overview

The gyroball pitch was first identified by the Japanese scientist Ryutaro Himeno (姫野 龍太郎), and later developed into a specific throwing technique by baseball instructor Kazushi Tezuka (手塚 一志), who used computer simulations to create a new style of delivery intended to reduce stress on the pitcher. They published their work in a book, currently available only in Japan, the title of which is roughly translated as The Secret of the Miracle Pitch (魔球の正体).

In simulations, they showed how a pitcher with good mechanics could throw the baseball in a way that it spun like a bullet or perfect football spiral, around the axis represented by the forward motion of the ball. This results in an unprecedented amount of "break" in the trajectory of the ball on the way to the home plate.[2]

However, the technique to throwing the gyroball is all in the arms, not in the unique grip of the baseball. Kazushi Tezuka is an instructor at the Jyoutatsuya baseball dojo in Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan. According to Tezuka, use of the arms "is the most important part of throwing the gyroball. It has nothing to do with the hands."[3]

Amidst many conflicting claims, Tezuka says the gyroball has been misunderstood.[4] In short, similar to a bullet, gyroball's axis of spin directly faces forward.

According to Himeno and Tezuka, a gyroball is thrown so that, at the point of release, instead of having the pitcher's arm move inwards towards the body (the standard method used in the United States), the pitcher rotates his arm so that it moves away from his body, toward third base for a right-handed pitcher and toward first base for a left-handed pitcher.

The unusual method of delivery creates a bullet-like spin on the ball with the axis of spin in line with the direction of the throw, similar to the way an American football is thrown. According to Tezuka, the pitch, if thrown correctly, is meant to fly straight like a fastball. Contrary to early speculation that the gyroball was a late moving breaking ball, the fact that the pitch travels with a bullet-spin denotes that the baseball is stabilized, hence the lack of movement. In baseball, most pitches are thrown with backspin, like the usual fastball, or with a more forward spinning motion, like the curveball and the slider.

To throw a gyroball, a pitcher holds the side of the ball with a fastball grip. The pitcher's hips and throwing shoulder must be in near-perfect sync, something the book refers to as "double-spin mechanics." As the pitcher rotates his shoulder, he snaps his wrist and pulls down his fingers rather than flipping them over the ball, as happens with curveballs. The rotation is side over side. When the pitcher lets go, he must pronate his wrist, or turn it so the palm faces third base. It's like a right-hander throwing a screwball, only instead of the ball last touching the middle finger, it spins off the index finger.

Batters use the arm speed of the pitcher and the spin on a baseball, made visible by the seams, to judge the speed and trajectory of a pitch. The gyroball is thrown with the arm speed of a usual fastball, but with a different actual speed. Its bullet-like spinning motion may hide the seams of a ball from the view of the batter, making it difficult to predict the pitch. Typical strategy entails throwing many variations of pitches, followed by a gyroball. The batter, predicting a change in speed caused by the ball's spin, may adapt to the wrong speed and swing incorrectly.

The gyroball is also often confused with a completely different Japanese pitch called the shuuto, due to an error in a well-known article by baseball writer Will Carroll.[5] Although Carroll later corrected himself, the confusion still persists.

Video games

In March 2005, Baseball Mogul was the first game to include the "Gyroball". The pitch was included in the arsenal of Daisuke Matsuzaka. However, because Matsuzaka was not yet with the Red Sox, players had to simulate into the 2006 season before the gyroball became available. Additionally, the gyroball is available in Baseball Mogul's player editor, and can be learned in Spring Training by pitchers that enter the game after 2005. In the game's graphical play-by-play mode, the pitch comes out of the pitcher's hand as a fastball, but fails to rise like a traditional four-seam fastball.

In the video game MLB 07: The Show and the more recent The Bigs, only Daisuke Matsuzaka has the ability to throw the gyroball, although the movement of the pitch in the video game differs from the movement of the actual pitch. Daisuke Matsuzaka has himself stated, "looks like they are talking about my cut fastball or sinking slider. I guess sometimes it has a similar rotation of a gyro, when I fail to throw the cut fastball or the slider properly, but it is not exactly a gyro itself. It is different. There is a particular way of throwing it. I guess it is a kind of shuuto-like cut fastball". (However, in the long-lasting Japan-Baseball game series Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū series, Daisuke is never given "Gyroball" ability for any installment, nor in the MLB Power Pros series installment.) It is an obtainable ability in the MLB Power Pros series, and its effect is to make the fastball look faster.

Japanese animation

In the Japanese manga and anime baseball series Major, the protagonist, Goro, is known for his use of the gyroball pitch, which was his only pitch until he eventually adds a forkball to his repertoire.

Gyroballers

Official gyroballers

The gyroball is often confused with a changeup, but the beginning speed is the same as a fastball.[4]

Possibilities

References

  1. Nathan, Alan M. (May 24, 2012). "Determining the 3D Spin Axis from TrackMan Data" (PDF). Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  2. "Searching for baseball's Bigfoot". Yahoo News. 13 March 2006. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  3. Brett Bull, "Unwinding the Gyroball," SI.com January 30, 2006
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jeff Passan, "Finally, the gyroball mystery solved," Yahoo.com Feb 21, 2007
  5. Will Carroll,"The Ghost Pitch"
  6. "日米野球 川尻(阪神タイガース)のジャイロボール?" YouTube (Japanese) Archived April 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. Masayoshi Niwa,"“魔球”ジャイロの真実にボンズ関心(前編)"Major. JP Feb 22, 2007 (Japanese)
  8. Seiya Kumazaki,"「素振りの正体」" 手塚一志の上達屋BASEBALL DOJYO (Japanese) Archived January 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  9. "渡辺俊“ジャイロボール”で2回5K…ロッテVS豪州選抜" スポーツ報知 Feb 14, 2007 (Japanese) Archived April 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  10. "1996日本シリーズ第1戦 星野伸之の全投球"YouTube (Japanese)
  11. Dan Fox, "Schrodinger's Bat: Searching for the Gyroball," BaseballProspectus.com, July 5, 2007.
  12. T.R. Sullivan, "Notes: Wilson adding to pitching menu Rangers left-hander will experiment with Japan's 'gyro'"MLB.com
  13. Masayoshi Niwa,"松坂に触発、目指すは米国人初のジャイロボーラー"MAJOR.JP Apr 17, 2007 (Japanese)
  14. 1 2 Masayoshi Niwa,"ウィーバー兄弟はジャイロボーラー?"MAJOR.JP Mar 11 ,2007 (Japanese)
  15. Masayoshi Niwa,"松坂のスライダーはジャイロボールなのか?(後編)"MAJOR.JP Jun 31, 2007 (Japanese)
  16. SeattlePI.com
  17. Masayoshi Niwa,"松坂のスライダーはジャイロボールなのか?(後編" Jun 31, 2007 MAJOR.JP (Japanese)
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