Off-speed pitch

In baseball, an off-speed pitch is a pitch thrown at a slower speed than a fastball. Colloquially, off-speed pitches are known as "junk." Breaking balls and changeups are the two most common types of off-speed pitches. Other more rarely thrown varieties include the knuckleball and the Eephus pitch, a sort of extreme changeup. The specific goals of off-speed pitches vary, but all are used to disrupt the timing of the batter, lessening his or her chances of hitting the ball solidly, or making contact with it at all. Virtually all pitchers have at least one off-speed pitch in their repertoire.