screwball

baseball

Also known as: fadeaway

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Last updated

June 17, 2026

Quick Summary

In baseball, a screwball is a type of pitch that spins and breaks in the opposite direction of a curveball. This means it moves towards a right-handed batter's armpit or a left-handed batter's armpit, rather than away from them. Pitchers achieve this spin by wrapping their fingers around the ball and whipping them across its surface upon release.1

The term "screwball" can also refer to a whimsical or eccentric person or describe something as zany or extremely eccentric.2

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baseball
The pitching repertoire
…thrown by Christy Mathewson), the screwball (thrown by Carl Hubbell), or some other name applied by the pitcher himself. In both curves and reverse curves, the ball reaches the batter at a slower rate of speed than the fastball, and the deception is almost as much a result of the…
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…thrown by Christy Mathewson), the screwball (thrown by Carl Hubbell), or some other name applied by the pitcher himself. In both curves and reverse curves, the ball reaches the batter at a slower rate of speed than the fastball, and the deception is almost as much a result of the…
Read More

Carl Hubbell
… (left-handed) pitcher who popularized the screwball pitch. In this pitch the ball, which is thrown with the same arm motion as a fastball, has reverse spin against the natural curve and, when thrown by a left-hander, breaks sharply down and away from right-handed batters.
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… (left-handed) pitcher who popularized the screwball pitch. In this pitch the ball, which is thrown with the same arm motion as a fastball, has reverse spin against the natural curve and, when thrown by a left-hander, breaks sharply down and away from right-handed batters.
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