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In a game of deception, the slurve is another weapon a pitcher can use to outwit the batter.
Combining elements of a slider and a curveball, the slurve moves diagonally across the plate, “with both downward and sweeping side-to-side action.”
Once considered sloppy, its reputation has been transformed, and it is now considered distinct, strategic and devastating.
It’s the signature pitch of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Michael Soroka, who has used it to good effect for punchouts.
The past few years, the 28-year-old Canadian has fought back from a series of injuries and reinvented himself, mixing the slurve with four other kinds of pitches, including a four-seam fastball, a changeup, a sinker and a cutter.
With a velocity in the low 80s, Soroka’s slurve has a good whiff rate, yields a low batting average and is among the toughest pitches to hit in baseball.
The Diamondbacks fell to the Colorado Rockies in Soroka's start on May 22, but it wasn't from a lack of effort by the starter, who gave the team another quality outing, giving up one earned run on four hits with a pair of strikeouts.
After the May 27 game against the San Francisco Giants, which the Diamondbacks won, Soroka has a 7-2 record. According to Baseball Savant, he has a 33.3% usage of the slurve for a 34.7% whiff.
10th win in past 11: Diamondbacks cash another day of Giants gifts
Ketel Marte is scorching: He proves it again in San Francisco
A Tucson native whose family spent summers in the White Mountains, Rebecca “Becca” Dyer lives in the Valley, is a copy editor/online producer for The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com and follows the Arizona Diamondbacks. Send tips on Arizona history items to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: A new Diamondbacks pitcher uses the slurve to good effect
Continue reading...
Combining elements of a slider and a curveball, the slurve moves diagonally across the plate, “with both downward and sweeping side-to-side action.”
Once considered sloppy, its reputation has been transformed, and it is now considered distinct, strategic and devastating.
It’s the signature pitch of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Michael Soroka, who has used it to good effect for punchouts.
The past few years, the 28-year-old Canadian has fought back from a series of injuries and reinvented himself, mixing the slurve with four other kinds of pitches, including a four-seam fastball, a changeup, a sinker and a cutter.
With a velocity in the low 80s, Soroka’s slurve has a good whiff rate, yields a low batting average and is among the toughest pitches to hit in baseball.
The Diamondbacks fell to the Colorado Rockies in Soroka's start on May 22, but it wasn't from a lack of effort by the starter, who gave the team another quality outing, giving up one earned run on four hits with a pair of strikeouts.
After the May 27 game against the San Francisco Giants, which the Diamondbacks won, Soroka has a 7-2 record. According to Baseball Savant, he has a 33.3% usage of the slurve for a 34.7% whiff.
10th win in past 11: Diamondbacks cash another day of Giants gifts
Ketel Marte is scorching: He proves it again in San Francisco
A Tucson native whose family spent summers in the White Mountains, Rebecca “Becca” Dyer lives in the Valley, is a copy editor/online producer for The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com and follows the Arizona Diamondbacks. Send tips on Arizona history items to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: A new Diamondbacks pitcher uses the slurve to good effect
Continue reading...
