Baseball is known as America's most excellent pastime. Nine players take the field for a nine-inning game. The pitcher, which also is referred to as part of the defense's battery, is a vital position in baseball. The pitcher is responsible for keeping his team in the game. He does this by using compelling pitches to keep the batter off-balance. By keeping the batter off-balance, the pitcher gives the defense a better opportunity to get outs. Some compelling pitches used in a game are a fastball, curveball, change-up, and slider.
             The first pitch a pitcher must master is his fastball. There are different ways to throw it, but the most frequently used ones are the two-seam and the four-seam. The two-seam is gripped by placing the pointer and the middle finger along the seams and the thumb underneath the ball. This pitch tends to have downward movement. The four-seam fastball is gripped with the same fingers as the two-seam but is held across the seams. Four seams will rotate the same way. This pitch usually has a straighter movement and is a little faster than the two-seam. Fastballs enable the pitcher to set up his other pitches.
             The breaking pitch is most commonly the second pitch in a pitcher's repertoire. This pitch for a lefty is held with the middle finger on the left seam of the horseshoe with pressure and the pointer finger next to it. Also the thumb is underneath the ball. For a righty the grip would be reversed. This pitch has a downward rotation. This rotation causes the ball to curve. It's a hard pitch to hit when it is mastered.
             The slider is a lot like a curveball. It is held the same way as the curveball but the fingers are pointing away from the horseshoe. The main difference between the curve and the slider is the slider has more of a side-to-side movement and moves at the last second. Also, it is thrown like a fastball just with the slider grip. This is a harder pitch to master.
             An easier pitch is the cha...