Gyroball

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For the gyroscopic toy, see Powerball (exercise tool).

A gyroball is a type of baseball pitch used primarily by players in Japan.

Contents

[edit] Overview

The gyroball pitch was first identified by the Japanese scientist Gitau Kimani (姫野竜太郎), and later developed into specific throwing technique by baseball instructor, Kazushi Tezuka (手塚 一志), who used computer simulations to create a new style of delivery intended to reduce stress on the pitcher. They published their work in a book, currently available only in Japan, which title is roughly translated as, The Secret of the Miracle Pitch (魔球の正体).

Tezuka got the idea in 1995, when he found an American toy in a Japanese store. The toy is called the X-Zylo Ultra, and its reliance on the gyroscopic effect allows it to fly more than 500 feet when thrown.[1]

Amid many conflicting claims, Tezuka says the gyroball has been misunderstood.[2] In short, similar to a bullet, gyroball's axis of spin directly faces forward.

According to Himeno and Tezuka, 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.

However, the technique to throwing the gyroball is all in the arms/ not in the unique grip of the baseball. Kazushi Tezuka is an instructor at the Jyoutatsuya baseball dojo in Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan. "This," says Tezuka, as he grabs his thigh, "is the most important part of throwing the gyroball. It has nothing to do with the hands."[3]

The unusual method of delivery creates a bullet-like spin on the ball with the axis of spin in line with the direction of the throw, similar to the way an American football is thrown. According to Tezuka, the pitch, if thrown correctly, is meant to fly straight like a fastball. In baseball, most pitches are thrown with backspin, like the usual fastball, or with a more forward spinning motion, like the curveball and the slider.

Batters use the arm speed of the pitcher and the spin on a baseball, made visible by the seams, to judge the speed and trajectory of a pitch. The gyroball is thrown with the arm speed of a usual fastball, but with a different actual speed. Its bullet-like spinning motion may hide the seams of a ball from the view of the batter, making it difficult to predict the pitch. Typical strategy entails throwing many variations of balls, followed by a gyroball. The batter, predicting a change in speed caused by the ball's spin, may adapt to the wrong speed and swing incorrectly.

The gyroball is also often confused with a completely different Japanese pitch called the shuuto, due to an error in a well-known article by baseball writer Will Carroll[4]. Although Carroll later corrected himself, the confusion still persists.

In the video game MLB 07: The Show and the more recent The Bigs, only Daisuke Matsuzaka has the ability to throw the gyroball, although the movement of the pitch in the video game differs from the movement of the actual pitch. Daisuke Matsuzaka has himself stated, "looks like they are talking about my cut fastball or sinking slider. I guess sometimes it has a similar rotation of a gyro, when I fail to throw the cut fastball or the slider properly, but it is not exactly a gyro itself. It is different. There is a particular way of throwing it. I guess it is a kind of shuto-like cut fastball". (However, in the long-lasting Japan-Baseball game series Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū series, Daisuke is never given "Gyroball" ability for any installment, nor in the MLB Power Pros series installment.)

A careful computer analysis of Matsuzaka's pitches for the Boston Red Sox for the first half of the 2007 season by Dan Fox of Baseball Prospectus suggests that while Matsuzaka commands a dazzling array of pitches, the gyroball is more myth than reality, however, Daisuke has said he is trying to learn to throw the trick pitch.[5]

[edit] Gyroballers

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[edit] Official gyroballers

  • Tetsuro Kawajiri (retired): He is supposed to be a typical gyroballer in Japan. According to the book, the authors confirmed he threw a two-seam gyroball.[2] It confuses the batter by giving the illusion that the ball is faster than it actually is, because of the greater difference between the start speed and end speed. The batter cannot adapt to the slower end speed, which is not what he expected.[6]

. The gyroball is often confused with a changeup, but the beginning speed is the same as a fastball.[2]

  • Shunsuke Watanabe (Chiba Lotte Marines): He and Tezuka officially allowed him to be a gyroballer,[2] he throws a two-seam gyroball.[7]He thought it was just a non-breaking curveball before Tezuka told him it was the gyroball.[8]He throws four-seam gyro as well.[9]
  • Tomoki Hoshino[2] (Seibu Lions)
  • Nobuyuki Hoshino (retired): According to Tezuka, their fastball has a four-seam spiral movement. This is the four-seam gyroball. The nature is opposite to two-seam, the batter may confuse it as being much slower initially[10]. Tezuka pointed it out in "スポーツトレーニングが変わる本" which means The book which changed a way of sports training. Especially Nobuyuki, he was supposed to be a typical slow baller, nevertheless, Norihiro Nakamura thinks his fastball was the fastest in Japan, much better than even Matsuzaka's. Since they both are left-handed, the moving direction is opposite to the other pitchers.

[edit] Possibilities

  • Daisuke Matsuzaka: According to the result of analysis by high-speed photography, from the batter's view, his forkball-like slider rotates in a counterclockwise direction (clockwise from pitcher), and it is explained that the gyro axle is inclined.[11] However, Tezuka and Himeno have different conclusions. Himeno says it is not just a slider but definitely a kind of gyro,[12] because the gyro has a strong possibility of making different big curves (like slider, shuuto, or forkball) as well as speed illusion when the gyro axle is inclined.[13][14]That is why Matsuzaka is supposed to be a gyroballer, but Tezuka insists it is a little bit different. Tezuka thinks gyroball is an "unexpected ball" and basically it is not a breaking ball, it does not move at all[7] although it is quite close to a slider[7][2].[15]Seemingly, Matsuzaka himself agrees with Tezuka's opinion and he does not think he is a real gyroballer. He said, "I can't throw it like consciously, but occasionally I throw it accidentally. It seems to be rising, and the speed appears accelerated close to the batter. Nobody hit it before."[16][17]Actually Seibu Lions's catcher, Tooru Hosokawa said Matsuzaka occasionally throw strange cut fastball with gyro-spiral, it drops lengthwise, or turns aside, or rise up.[18]In addition, some players who played with him in Seibu Lions testified he sometimes throws it (Tezuka's gyroball) when he plays catch, so even Tezuka affirms the possibility.[19]
  • C.J. Wilson: He has claimed that he throws the gyroball.[20]However, as for his two-seam ball, it is sometimes very similar to slider or sinker in spite of his adoption of Tezuka's theory, he can not control it. He guesses because the gyro axle is inclined in irregularity. But while trying to learn the gyro, Wilson developed a new hybrid pitch, which he calls the Cork. The Cork, described by Wilson, is a "rising cut fastball." He uses this as his out pitch against left handed hitters.[21]
  • Hideo Nomo: Tezuka thinks probably his fastball is gyroball.[22]
  • Jered Weaver: His fastball is considered the four-seam gyro.[23].
  • Jeff Weaver: His slider sometimes does not curve, but rise (illusion), it is sufficient to be the three-seam gyro.[22]
  • Pedro Martínez: Tezuka thinks he throws it accidentally.[2]
  • Roger Clemens: Kazuo Matsui reckons he may throw it because his fastball has a gyroball-like rotation.[22]
  • Steve Palazzolo: Former CanAm and Minor League pitcher is attempting to learn the pitch from Will Carroll, a columnist for Baseball Prospectus. [24]
  • Kids: For example, Akinori Otsuka said his nine-year old child throws a gyroball-like ball even though Otsuka himself can not throw it.[2] Tezuka thinks many kids throw it unconsciously before their instructors modify their natural pitching form.[25]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Masayoshi Niwa,"松坂のスライダーはジャイロボールなのか？（前編）"MAJOR.JP Jun 31, 2007[1](Japanese)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Jeff Passan, "Finally, the gyroball mystery solved," Yahoo.com Feb 21, 2007 [2]
  3. ^ Brett Bull, "Unwinding the Gyroball," SI.com January 30, 2006. [3]
  4. ^ Will Carroll,"The Ghost Pitch"[4]
  5. ^ Dan Fox, "Schrodinger's Bat: Searching for the Gyroball," BaseballProspectus.com, July 5, 2007.
  6. ^ "日米野球　川尻（阪神タイガース）のジャイロボール？" YouTube[5] (Japanese)
  7. ^ a b c Masayoshi Niwa,"“魔球”ジャイロの真実にボンズ関心（前編）"Major. JP Feb 22, 2007 [6] (Japanese)
  8. ^ Seiya Kumazaki,"「素振りの正体」" 手塚一志の上達屋BASEBALL DOJYO [7] (Japanese)
  9. ^ "渡辺俊“ジャイロボール”で２回５Ｋ…ロッテＶＳ豪州選抜" スポーツ報知 Feb 14, 2007[8] (Japanese)
  10. ^ "1996日本シリーズ第1戦　星野伸之の全投球"YouTube[9] (Japanese)
  11. ^ "Unwinding the Mystery of the Gyroball (Part I)"Big Empire article [10]
  12. ^ Ryutatou Himeno,"変化球の謎に迫る"WEB-SITE ACADEMY[11](Japanese)
  13. ^ "Gyro Ball: Dice-K's Secret Arsenal"YouTube [12](Japanese with English subtitle)
  14. ^ Yuu Shimizu,"日米で魔球論争、松坂はジャイロ投げた？"nikkansports.com[13](Japanese)
  15. ^ [14](Japanese)
  16. ^ "魔球「ジャイロボール」の存在 レッドソックス・松坂大輔が衝撃発言"[15](Japanese)
  17. ^ "松坂衝撃発言「ジャイロは別にある」…６日マーリンズ戦「投げていない」"スポーツ報知[16](Japanese)
  18. ^ "松坂明言「ジャイロボールはある」"Sponichi Annex Mar 9, 2007 [17](Japanese)
  19. ^ Yuu Shimizu,"日米で魔球論争、松坂はジャイロ投げた？"nikkansports.com Mar 8, 2007 [18](Japanese)
  20. ^ T.R. Sullivan, "Notes: Wilson adding to pitching menu Rangers left-hander will experiment with Japan's 'gyro'"MLB.com[19]
  21. ^ Masayoshi Niwa,"松坂に触発、目指すは米国人初のジャイロボーラー"MAJOR.JP Apr 17, 2007[20](Japanese)
  22. ^ a b c Masayoshi Niwa,"ウィーバー兄弟はジャイロボーラー？"MAJOR.JP Mar 11 ,2007[21](Japanese)
  23. ^ Masayoshi Niwa,"松坂のスライダーはジャイロボールなのか？（後編）"MAJOR.JP Jun 31, 2007 [22](Japanese)
  24. ^ SeattlePI.com
  25. ^ Masayoshi Niwa,"松坂のスライダーはジャイロボールなのか？（後編" Jun 31, 2007 MAJOR.JP [23](Japanese)

[edit] External links

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