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).

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Scott Feldman throws a sidearm pitch

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, Mark Eichhorn, Javier Lopez, Jake Peavy, Dizzy Dean and most notably Walter Johnson. Others like Jered Weaver, David Cone and Tom Henke will sometimes change to sidearm for a strike out to fool batters. 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.

The sidearm motion is a more natural motion of the arm and leads to a reduced risk of elbow and shoulder injuries that are common in pitchers. Sidearm pitchers are often referred to as sidewinders.

Sidearm pitching is becoming more popular in baseball, especially for relief pitchers. The change in arm angle can throw a hitter off. The side spin of the ball leaving the hand of the pitcher can allow for more movement, either run (arm-side movement) or sink. Breaking pitches thrown by a sidearmer can be effective because of the sweeping motion of the break. The breaking ball thrown by sidearmers tends to move more side to side rather than vertically because of the arm angle.