Why do pitchers...?

Question

why do pitchers (like Dempster) flip their glove hand when they pitch? most only do it during warmups but dempster does it all the time.

Answer 1

Dempster was probably tipping his pitches by moving his glove on only one type of pitch, so he starting moving his glove on every pitch.  It is the same reason why pitchers were the finger guard on there exposed finger on the glove hand, so they don't tip their pitches.  If the pitcher has a tell such as a glove movement on a curve ball, or raising his index finger on a slider, a major league scout will find it and will expose it.

Answer 2

distraction to the batter, many pitchers have little flicks and wierd moves they do order to throw the batter off, and to better hide the balll

Answer 3

just lettin you know the first guy is wrong but J-man is correct.

Answer 4

During warm up they are indicating to the catcher what type of pitch they are throwing. It is difficult for a catcher to catch the ball if he doesn't know what type of pitch is comming, so the pitcher indicates with his glove what type of pitch he is throwing. They don't do it in the game because the catcher is giving signals so the catcher knows what is comming, but during warm up the pitcher throws whichever pitch he wants and the catcher has no way to know (other than the glove signal) which pitch is comming.

Here are the basic signals:

Fastball = fingers down, outside of glove toward the catcher, flip the glove toward the catcher

Change up = point glove at cacher then pull it back

curve = roll wrist so that the glove flips over

slider= flip wrist to the side, similar to a fastball signal except sideways rather than toward the catcher

Edit: this is why most pitchers do it in warm up. I don't know why Dempster does it all the time, other than that all pitchers have their own little things they do as part of their own routine, just like hitters who tap the plate a certain way every pitch.

Answer 5

i live in canada and dempster is canadian and they were interviewing him at the all star game and they asked him y do u shake ur glove he said he was watching little kids playing a game and they woul;d always do that (shake their gloves) and he decided to do that

Hes sais he feels better pitching like that and hes playing amazing

Answer 6

All answers are incorrect.  Dempster does not do this to distract hitters and it's not to let the catcher know what it is he's throwing.  He does it because he says it helps him with his timing and rythm when he's on the mound.  It has absolutely nothing to do with trying to distract a hitter.  I don't think those that answered really understand what you meant when you were talking about Dempster.

Answer 7

For warm ups it tells the catcher what your throwing

if you flick your glove out that tells the catcher your throwin a fastball.

turn it over and drop it it means curve.

Pull it back is change.

c**k it down in split/sinker.

pull it across is slider.

Idk why dempster does it in the game though. Maybe its a twitch thing like Suppon has when he "winks" at batters