That means that the baseball makes about 15 revolutions on its way from the pitcher's hand to the plate, depending on the speed of the pitch and the exact spin rate. A forkball rotates at about half that rate, making roughly nine revolutions from release to plate.

What is the difference between a forkball and splitter?

The split-finger grip is similar to the forkball grip, but the forkball is pushed further back between the fingers and is usually thrown with a wrist flip that makes it slower than the splitter. ... As it is an off-speed pitch, the splitter is generally thrown slower than a pitcher's fastball.

How does a forkball move?

When throwing a forkball, a pitcher jams the baseball between his index and middle fingers before releasing the pitch with a downward snap of the wrist. This causes the extreme downward movement on the baseball as it approaches the plate, similar to that of a 12-to-6 curveball.