A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family. Compare the two-seam fastball.[1]
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The four seam fastball is a pitch designed purely for velocity and has little break, to challenge the hitter's reaction time instead of fooling him with a breaking pitch. The pitch is gripped with the index and middle fingers with the seams of the ball perpendicular to the fingers. The pitcher places the tips of his fingers on the top seam with the horseshoe facing outward, away from the pitcher's body. The thumb is placed directly underneath the ball resting on the smooth leather with the back of the thumb just touching the seam on the underside of the ball. [2]
The ball is thrown with a straightforward motion. Upon the release, the ball will first leave the thumb, sliding off the fore and middle fingers at the top of the throwing motion, imparting backspin on the ball. The backspin on the ball, along with the action of the four seams all rotating into the direction of the throw, act to stabilize the ball's flight. The direction of spin on the ball causes it to travel upwards, while the force of gravity is pulling it downwards resulting in very level flight. The result is a very straight, level pitch with high velocity. The pitch comes very naturally to most pitchers (or anyone who throws a baseball), and is often one of the first pitches taught to young pitchers. This is because the pitch requires very little unnatural motion and the ball comes off the fingers very easily in the way the pitch was intended to be thrown. It is the most common pitch thrown by most pitchers, and almost all pitchers at any level can throw the four seamer as part of their repertoire.
The four seamer is intended to overpower hitters primarily from its velocity. The idea is to get the ball through the strike zone before the hitter can recognize how fast the pitch is and where it will be thrown. It follows that the faster and more accurately the pitch can be thrown, the more effective it will be. An effective four seam fastball is very difficult for a hitter to get around on, and to get the sweet spot of the bat on, because the hitter must swing very early to catch up to the pitch.
The chief disadvantage of the four seamer is its lack of break. If a hitter can anticipate where the pitch will be thrown, the lack of movement on the pitch makes it very easy to hit. Its high velocity also enables batters to hit it extremely hard, and if a hitter can square up on it the pitch can be readily hit for power. The pitch's effectiveness also decreases substantially if it cannot be thrown accurately for strikes. Unlike some other pitches, because of its straight and level flight, it will not fool very many hitters and won't produce very many swings when thrown out of the zone.
Richard Hillhouse (also known as "The Hammer"), a former pitcher for the Louisville Bats, describes the pitch as such; "A four seam fastball is called a four seam fastball because when the ball is thrown the ball rotates such that there are four seams rotating in the air. This pitch typically will stay straight depending on your arm angle. Your arm angle is the angle at which your arm is when you release the ball. The lower your arm angle, the more the ball will move on this pitch and the higher the arm angle, the less the ball will move on this pitch. Grip this pitch softly, like an egg, in your fingertips. There should be a "gap" or space between the ball and your palm... This is the key to throwing a good, hard four-seam fastball with maximal backspin and velocity: A loose grip minimizes 'friction' between your hand and the baseball. The less friction, of course, the quicker the baseball can leave your hand." [3]
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