What is the Rarest Pitch in Major League Baseball?

Giroball is a field designed in Japanese professional baseball, but it is rarely seen in the Major Leagues (although Daisuke Matsuzaka is known to use it). The eephus is one of the rarest pitches ever thrown in baseball and is known for its exceptionally low speed and ability to surprise a batsman. You might think that the rarest pitch in the game is the knuckle-ball, but only two throwers use it regularly at this time. However, there is one release that only Brad Ziegler throws frequently. The most famous eephus of all time was thrown by Bill “Spaceman” Lee to Tony Perez in the seventh game of the 1975 World Series.

The Red Sox won 3-0 in the sixth, and that's when Lee decided to break out the rainbow. Perez waited and waited, and drilled the ball over the Green Monster. Considering what was at stake, it was probably one of the most ill-advised pitches in baseball history. You might think that the game's rarest release is the knuckle: only two launchers throw it regularly right now. Of all the releases that you would advise your child never to try, the wacko is at the top of the list.

Ziegler admitted that taking advantage of the change had been difficult, but said the pitch had more to do with a change in speed than with movement. Usually, an ephus throws very high into the air, resembling a slow-pitch softball trajectory. Shuuto is another field not commonly seen in Major League Baseball, but it is used more frequently in Japanese leagues. It falls like a break pitch, and probably because it's spinning the ball that looks like a three-quarter curve. Throughout baseball history, several unorthodox pitches have been developed and, although they are not seen very often, they can make opposing batters turn their heads (and block their knees).

The fork is more popular in Japan, which could explain why Junichi Tazawa is one of three pitchers who have thrown real forkball this year (see him strike out J.It has been used by pitchers for more than 100 years, most notably by Christy Mathewson and Fernando Valenzuela). With a phone full of pictures of jugs' fingers, rare beers and his two young children, Eno Sarris can be found in the stadium or in a brewery most days. The theory behind this pitch is that it cuts abruptly at the end, giving it a pronounced descending plane that makes it difficult to contact the ball. Usually, pronas (“pulls down” inside the ball for a right hand) with the change and supine (pull down outside of ball) with throws that break. Before him, Phil Niekro was probably one of the greatest knuckle players of all time.

The field of play is not launched very often, but Carlos Zambrano and Kazuhito Tadano have used it in recent years. But for a hitter who can maintain his weight and make a normal swing on this pitch, it's one of the easiest pitches to throw in baseball: one without unexpected movements or excessive speed. There's nothing complex about an eephus; it's a very slow curve that looks like a typical lollipop presentation. There are some discussions about how to classify this field. FanGraphs says it's a knuckle, Brooks Baseball says change, but I stick with FanGraphs to believe in incredible things.