What's the difference between a Breaking Ball, Change Up, and Slider?

Question

What's the difference between a Breaking Ball, Change Up, and Slider?

Answer 1

Okay....

The difference is in the throwing mechanics and the action of the ball.

A breaking ball is a general term for any pitch where the ball has movement.  A curveball and slider are both breaking balls.  For a curve the movement is typically down and for a slider it is to the the side.

A change up is when you make the same pitching motion as a fast ball, but due to the grip, the ball travels much slower (i.e. fastball might be 90 mph, a change up is 75 mph).  It throws the timing of the batter off.

Answer 2

A breaking ball will do that, break. It is usually how you hold it and how it comes out of your hand. I can throw a decent one that will start high and just about when it gets to the batter, it will suddenly drop. I change up is basically a ball throw at a slower speed than a fastball. You keep the same arm velocity but it will come out slower. Doing this makes it seem like you are throwing a normal fastball. A slider basically comes in or goes away from a batter. This is one pitch that Im not familiar with, but Im sure if you youtube Randy Johnson and slider that are some good videos of them.

Answer 3

a change-up is a slow fastball

a breaking ball is one that is like a fastbal but drops right before it gets to the plate

a slider is a fastball that goes from left to right or right to left

Answer 4

I think the slider has more mushrooms on it than the others ;-P

Answer 5

I vote for Bugsme's answer

Answer 6

Jesus Christ.... Sliders and Change ups are both "breaking balls"..... Why? Because they both "Break" in different directions. Ok I'll break it down.

Think of a clock when I give you two numbers. I'll say 3-9... that means the ball breaks from 3 0clock to 9Oclock... Get it? Ok here goes

From a rt hander:

Fastball.... Usually flat but better fastballs will move from 4-3

Curve Ball.... anywhere from 12-6 but may move from 1-7 and 2-8 sometimes

Slider.... Hard tight spinning curve ball moving from 2-8 or 2-9

Change up.... Fastball arm action moving 5-12 mhp slower than fastball moves from 11-6 as well as 10-5



Those are your basic pitches. There are about a dozen more including a split fastball (12-5).... Cut fastball (3-9 or 3-10) as well as different changeups that move in different directions.

Hope this helps... Remember breaking balls are balls that break.

Answer 7

Breaking ball - What ymy wife does to me when she's pissed.

Change up - My wife can change up to 5 times a day depending on time of month.

Slider - What my wife says I am when I've been out with the boys till 2 AM and am trying to sneak into bed without her noticing. "Nice try, slider."

Answer 8

Word Nerd's answer has it down well. If you haven't read Ball Four yet, read it. One of the funniest things in it is Joe Morgan's explanation of the difference between a regular curve ball and a, um, really good curve ball...  :)

Answer 9

Rather than make a super long response, this article has lots of nice information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_(base...