Reader Question: Is a “Backdoor Screwball” Possible?

My daughter is a sophomore and her coach is wanting her to throw a screw ball to a left handed batter that looks as if it is going to hit the her and then screws over the plate. The mechanics of the screwball does not allow this with out going way out of the throwing lanes. I tries to explain it to him but he insist that he watches college ball all the time and there is a such pitch. Am I wrong and if so how do I teach her to throw this pitch?

This question comes from Bonnie (thanks Bonnie!). We’re talking about a right-handed pitcher throwing to a left-handed batter.

I’ve seen too many crazy things to call anything impossible, but I’m going to agree with you and say that this pitch is highly improbable and very likely illegal if a pitcher is pulling it off somehow. Here’s why:

You’re spot on about the throwing lane; there is no way a pitcher could start a screwball in the left-handed batter’s box without moving her body well out of the lane, and it’s impossible to get your arm safely all the way over there while keeping the body in the lane because the body gets in the way. Now, I will say that it’s certainly plausible that your daughter’s coach DID see this pitch on TV. Here’s the reality: whether it’s hopping or stepping out of the lines or something else, elite pitchers pitch illegally ALL THE TIME. That doesn’t make it right, and every few years there will be a big fuss about it on television when some umpire finally decides to enforce the rules.

I also find that the camera angles used in softball games are often very misleading, even more so than in baseball.

Even if you throw the rules out the window and attempt this pitch anyway, it’s not going to be as deceptive as the coach is hoping. There is a very common misconception about screwballs that I want to clear up:

A screwball is NOT simply a curveball that goes the other way.

A curveball, if thrown well, actually curves. A screwball might have a little bit of a last-second tail on it from the different spin, but it primarily RUNS; that is, it is delivered diagonally from one side of the strike zone to the other, but its path is more straight. There are a few reasons for this:

• When you hold your palm up to position your hand for a side-to-side snap, the screwball snap moves in the direction of your thumb and a curve snap moves in the direction of your pinky. You have much more range of motion moving toward your pinky, and on top of that your hand can turn over into a relaxed follow-through. This range of motion leads to much more spin. That doesn’t mean you CAN’T get spin on a screwball, but the potential for spin, and thus MOVEMENT, is much greater on the curve.
• You also get a lot of curve movement from front side resistance (in your leg/hip). In the screwball, your arm is basically moving through clear air, because rather than resisting with your front side, you need to get your hips out of the way so your arm can start far enough toward one side of the zone before cutting to the other. This also results in less movement.

On top of that, the pitcher would have to step out of the pitching lane so much that it would be extremely obvious what she’s trying to do; she’d tip the pitch every time, because there is no other pitch that would require her to do that.

So I don’t personally think a left-handed batter would be fooled by an inside screwball nearly as much as if a left-handed pitcher were to throw her a good backdoor curveball. Since your daughter is not left handed obviously she can’t throw a lefty a backdoor curve, but I think you’re better off coming up with a different way to attack lefty batters that stays safely within the rules of the game.