C
Clarity News Hub

How many inches does Clayton Kershaws curveball break?

Author

Noah Mitchell

Published Jan 06, 2026

Per Brooks Baseball, Kershaw's curveball gets an average of minus-2.99 inches of horizontal break, which puts him more or less in Locke's neighborhood. The difference is that he gets an average of minus-8.51 inches of vertical break, which blows that of Locke and Bumgarner out of the water. Want to see it in pictures?

How many inches does a curveball break?

Curveballs, on average, usually drop between 40 to 70 inches.

How much does a major league curveball break?

A ball thrown with backspin will therefore get a little bit of lift. A major league curveball can veer as much as 17 1/2 inches from a straight line by the time it crosses the plate. Over the course of a pitch, the deflection from a straight line increases with distance from the pitcher.

Which curveball has the most break?

Aaron Nola's nasty curveball

The Phillies ace used his knuckle-curve to get 445 total called and swinging strikes in 2019, the most of any pitcher.

Who has the fastest curveball in MLB?

Fortunately, there's no shortage of that as our quick look at the fastest throwing pitchers in MLB shows.

  • Fastest curveball in MLB: 85.2 mph, Colorado Rockies pitcher Germán Márquez.
  • Fastest splitter in MLB” 89.5 mph, New York Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker.
32 related questions found

What was Chapman's fastest pitch?

Chapman currently has the record for the fastest recorded pitch speed in MLB history, at 105.1 miles per hour (169.1 km/h), as well as the Guinness World Record for fastest baseball pitch.

How fast would Randy Johnson throw?

Randy Johnson was known for throwing a fastball that could reach over 100 mph. It's not every day you see a dove explode in front of home plate, and this was all caught on camera.

Who throws the best screwball in MLB?

The Best Screwball Pitchers in MLB History

The most famous screwball pitcher is Carl Hubbell. Carl Hubbell “King Carl” was a pitcher for the New York Giants from 1928 – 1943 and is in the Hall of Fame today. During his career, Carl was able to record over 250 wins and earn an average of three.

Who has the best 12 6 curveball?

The 12–6 generally agreed upon as the most effective of all time belonged to Dodgers Hall of Famer, Sandy Koufax. 2002 Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito, formerly of the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants, threw a 12–6 curve that was, at one point, widely recognized as the best in baseball.

What's the fastest slider ever thrown?

Was it the fastest ever? On May 27th, the baseball world lost its mind (and rightfully so) when Koda Glover, the Nationals' 24-year-old rookie closer, threw a 95.6mph slider.

What is a good vertical break on a curveball?

Pitchers with true four-seam fastball measurements (17+ inches of vertical break) will benefit most from 12-6 curveballs, as the high amount of vertical drop mirrors the amount of ride present in purely backspin fastballs.

What is a good curveball spin efficiency?

In order to achieve this without the pitch acting more like a sidespin slider, spin efficiency needs to be kept at least between 65-75% (MLB average ≈ 68%) while also being thrown with an 8:00-9:00 spin direction.

Do curveballs actually curve?

It turns out that the path of a curveball really does curve as it flies through the air, making it unpredictable and hard to hit. Exploratorium staff physicist Paul Doherty explains where the curveball gets its curve.

What is the best breaking ball in baseball?

Top 9 Nastiest Pitches in Baseball History

  • Nolan Ryan's Fastball.
  • Clayton Kershaw's 12-6 Curveball.
  • R.A. Dickey's Knuckleball.
  • Mariano Rivera's Cutter.
  • Randy Johnson's Slider.
  • Sandy Koufax's Curveball.
  • Trevor Hoffman's Changeup.
  • Greg Maddux's Two-Seamer.

Is the curveball a breaking pitch?

A curveball is a breaking pitch that has more movement than just about any other pitch. It is thrown slower and with more overall break than a slider, and it is used to keep hitters off-balance. When executed correctly by a pitcher, a batter expecting a fastball will swing too early and over the top of the curveball.

What does curveball mean?

Definition of throw (someone) a curve/curveball

: to present (someone) with a difficult and unexpected problem, situation, question, etc. The reporter threw the candidate a curve by asking about his past drug use. Recently, Mother Nature threw us a curveball in the form of a 50-degree day in the middle of January.—

Why is curveball called Uncle Charlie?

One of the early nicknames of the curveball was Uncle Charlie, or sometimes, Lord Charles. This was derived from the name of Harvard President Charles Elliot, who was opposed to the adoption of the curveball and considered it to be cheating. No surprise there, because Harvard was the curveball's original victim.

Who was the first pitcher to throw a curveball?

William Arthur "Candy" Cummings (October 18, 1848 – May 17, 1924) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher in the National Association and National League. Cummings is widely credited with inventing the curveball.

Who threw the gyro ball?

In the United States, the gyroball became a media goldmine when word spread that Daisuke Matsuzaka, an outstanding Japanese pitcher, threw this pitch— maybe—or at least was considering throwing it. As Matsuzaka negotiated a contract with the Boston Red Sox, the gyroball became one of baseball's hottest topics.

Who threw the first screwball?

1. Christy Mathewson. Everything has an origin, and although Christy is claimed to have learned his “fadeaway” pitch from others, he was the first hurler to make it an effective weapon. That fadeaway would later be known as the screwball.

What is the best strikeout pitch?

Jeremy Affeldt. A curveball is very effective as a strikeout pitch because hitters could swing and miss, and they often just watch it go by. For Jeremy Affeldt, his curveball is the best pitch that he can throw with two strikes. It results in a strikeout more than a third of the time.

Who threw the slowest pitch in MLB history?

Utility player Brock Holt used a few eephus pitches during a relief appearance for the Texas Rangers on August 7, 2021, one registering the slowest MLB pitch for a called strike since at least 2008 (the pitch-tracking era) at 31.1 miles per hour (50.1 km/h).

How fast can Babe Ruth throw?

To gauge power, Ruth swung a 54-ounce bat 75 mph, a measure that flabbergasted researchers.

What's the longest home run ever hit?

Giancarlo Stanton, 504 Feet (2016)

Since the installment of technology, Giancarlo Stanton's home run is the longest homer ever recorded. Stanton hit a ball in the Coors Field, one of the highest (sea level) baseball parks in the MLB.