WHAT IS A GYRO OR EPHUS PITCH ?

Question

DISAKE MATSUSAKA ON THE RED SOX

Answer 1

The eephus pitch is a very slow pitch, sort of like a junk ball which will catch the hitter off guard.

The gyro pitch is practically the same kind of pitch, it is a slow pitch just like a junk ball. The difference between these two pitches is the movement on the ball.

Answer 2

A gyro ball is completely different than an ephus pitch.

Gyro ball:

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

Disake's forkball-like slider rotates in a counterclockwise direction (clockwise from pitcher). This is his version of the gyro ball.

Eephus Pitch:

An eephus pitch is considered a "junk" pitch with very low speed.The delivery from the pitcher has very low velocity and usually catches the hitter off-guard. Its invention is attributed to Rip Sewell of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1930s.

Its basically a bloop curveball or is known as the Bugs Bunny Curve (a reference to the Bugs Bunny cartoon where batters swing three times at a pitch before the ball reaches the plate)

Answer 3

a gyro has the same rotation as a slider only it does not move making hitters off balance when they swing. a ephus pitch is just a slow and high lob that you throw when a batter is expecting a fastball