RIP Fernando Valenzuela

Amazing talent and fun to watch. Reunited with Lasorda......

 

Well damn. Never a Dodger fan but I did see him matchup with Gooden in LA. Colorful guy. I heard cause of death was liver cancer, not sure if accurate.

 

2x—

Sadly I read the same thing in USA Today……

 

Old school pitcher that wasn't afraid to pitch high and tight. Got to see him pitch against Mario Soto (another head hunter) at Riverfront.

 

He reintroduced the league to the old school screwball too!

 

Since you raised that point, you have to explain the screwball. There were many screwball specialists into the '60s. I remember Warren Spahn as a scewballer and I think Whitey Ford used it, too. I know other old pitches like the forkball have evolved and divided and are known by other names. What can you share about the works of a screwball? Is a version still in use?

 

That I knew (and used) there were two grips, both very similar, IMHO it came down to personal preference. The fingers placed inside the parallel two seams, and then just sliding your fingers up towards the horse shoe-as the seams begin to open up this gives you a slightly longer seam to work with.

I have big hands and long fingers so the second grip I described was my favorite.

The pitch is thrown with fastball arm speed and the main pressure point was my trigger finger against the seam to my left (as a RHP) with my release point out front “in the circle”. It’s a hard counterclockwise rotation driving downward.

When it’s thrown correctly and working properly it will break down and in to a RHH late or down and away to a LHH late. It can also be highly effective in on a LHH to point he’ll give up on it as inside and then it catches the inside part of the plate.

It’s not thrown with as much velocity as your fastball. The norm I am familiar with is if a pitcher pitches at 94-95 with his 4-seam he’s usually around 91-92 with his 2-seamer. The same pitcher is going to be 86-88 with the screwball.

Another name that comes to mind is Mike Cuellar, LHP for the Baltimore Orioles in the ‘60’s and’70’s.

 

Mike Marshall from the Dodgers had a really good one.

While not a perfect analogy it is like a two-seam change up.

 

I remember Soto drilled Claudell Washington and Washington came out to the mound with the ball. He was like 5 feet away and drilled Soto right in the chest.