Sidearm

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This article is about the method of throwing. For the type of weapon, see Side arm. For other uses, see sidearm (disambiguation).

Sidearm is a method of throwing an object in which the arm swings parallel to the ground and the palm of the hand points towards the target. In baseball, sidearm throws are common in the infield because it is easier to throw off balance or while turning, as opposed to overhand throws which require a back leg-to-front leg weight shift. Sidearm pitchers are fairly rare, but many have succeeded in the major leagues, including Randy Johnson, Pat Neshek, Scott Sauerbeck, Dennis Eckersley, Jake Peavy, and most notably Walter Johnson. Sidearm pitchers are widely popular in Japanese baseball, usually because of the varied release point of the baseball. Different release points often make it more difficult for the batter to get into a rhythm or predict the timing or type of a pitch.