A Complete Overview of the Slider

Some experts would say that a well thrown slider is the most devastating pitch in
baseball. Ted Williams once said how a slider was “the best pitch in baseball” (Ellis,
Para.1). The slider is the third fastest pitch in baseball, just behind the fastball and the cut
fastball (Ellis, Para.2). When thrown correctly, the slider should break sharply down and
away. The slider is a sharp breaking pitch that a pitcher usually uses to set up a fastball,
and throw a hitter's timing off. The main point of the slider is for a pitcher to throw
a fastball and then throw a slider right after it, in the same spot that he previously had
thrown the fastball. This way, the hitter thinks it is a fastball, but in reality, it is not. The
greatest advantage to throwing the slider is the fact that the batter can not tell it is a slider,
until it is too late. The slider looks like a fastball coming out of a pitchers hand, but it is
4-8 mph slower. For the right-handed pitcher, the slider breaks down and away from a
right-handed batter. For the left-handed pitcher, the slider breaks down and away from a
left-handed batter. The great Bob Feller said about the slider,“ The delivery is almost
identical to that of a fastball until the point of release. I think the release can best be
described by comparing it with the passing of a football. The index finger controls the
release, even as it does a football, and the hand is about in the same position” (as quoted
in Neyer, & James, 2004, p. 37). Not only is the slider one of the hardest pitches to
perfect in baseball, it is also prone to giving those who throw it, arm/elbow injury. High
school coaches are very strict about when it is right for a pitcher to start learning how to
throw a slider. A good pitcher with a good slider should be able to change speeds with
the slider, and throw it anywhere he wants to. The pitch has become a favorite of hard
throwers, relief pitchers, and closers. However, Because of the difficulty and the dangers
of throwing this pitch, most pitchers did not bother developing it or making it their
signature pitch.
A study done by Josh Kalk(2008) proves the effectiveness of the slider. Kalk is
the inventor of the PITCHf/x tool. This tool allows pitchers to analyze their pitches for
better effectiveness. In his study, Kalk required at least 200 sliders be thrown. Kalk
addresses why the slider is so effective and what makes it so hard to hit. “Because
sliders tend to stay hidden much farther down the line, a batter who is fooled in the
information-gathering stage has much less time to recover. Pitchers can effectively hide
their sliders because the difference in vertical movement for a slider is much less than
that of a curveball. A fastball will tail into the batter of the same handedness as the
pitcher, but a slider is just the opposite: it tails away from the same batter because of the
different spin applied by the pitcher” ( Kalk, 2008)
The exact inventor of the slider is unknown. Since no data exists to when the first
slider was thrown, we can only speculate on who the founder of this pitch really was.
Some credit the invention of the slider to George Blaeholder in the early 1930’s (Neyer &
James, 2004, p. 37). Blaeholder claims he never did anything to the ball, that it was just
his natural pitching style (Neyer, & James, 2004, p. 37). However, others say that George
Uhle was responsible for the development of this pitch (Neyer, 2004, Para.4). George
Uhle once said about his slider “ It just came to me all of a sudden, letting the ball go
along my index finger and using my ring finger and pinky to give it just a little bit of
twist. It was a sailing fastball, and that’s how come I named it the slider. The
real slider is a sailing fastball ” (as quoted in, Neyer & James 2004, p. 37). We can thank
whoever did invent the slider for adding another dynamic to pitching and the game of
baseball.
After the initial invention of the pitch, the slider did not really catch on. A few
like Red Ruffing and Johnny Allen developed great sliders in the 1930’s (Neyer & James,
2004, p. 38). However, for the most part, pitchers left it alone. This had a lot to do with
World War II (Neyer & James, 2004, p. 38). Since most great pitchers had either been
drafted or enlisted into the army, there were not a lot of great pitchers playing baseball at
this time (Neyer & James, 2004, p. 38). Over the next thirty to thirty-five years, the slider
took a kind of back seat to other pitches. While some great pitchers did throw the slider,
most did not bother with it, keeping to the old fastball curveball setup (Neyer & James,
2004, p. 39). In the 1950’s, it was even looked down upon by old time pitchers to throw a
slider (Neyer & James, 2004, p. 39). These pitchers gave off the general idea that the
pitch was for "pansies" (Neyer& James, 2004, p. 39). Said tough guy, Sal Maglie, “All
pitchers today are lazy. They all look for the easy way out, and the slider gives them that
pitch” (as quoted in: Neyer, & James, 2004, p. 39). However, beginning in the 1970’s,
things changed (Neyer, 2004, Para.24). People's viewpoint on the slider became more
accepting. Pitchers started developing it as their signature pitch. The 1970’s was one of
the best times for the slider (Neyer & James, 2004, p. 39). It was at this time that Steve
Carleton came into the game with his slider (Neyer & James,2004, p. 39). Noted by
many as the best slider of all time, Carlton dominated hitters with his slider. At the time it
was said to be the toughest pitch to hit in the National League (Neyer & James, 2004, p.
39). Today, the slider is a big part of baseball. It has changed and progressed from its
original invention to become the great pitch that it is today. It has changed a pitcher’s
game plan and has also changed the way hitters go up against pitchers. It is said that in
order to be an effective relief pitcher or closer in the Major Leagues, a good slider is a
must. Through the years, the slider has grown and changed in many ways. It went from
being one of the most unpopular pitches, to being a favorite of long time great pitchers.
Although the slider has developed and gained in popularity over the last twenty years, we
still have not unlocked the full potential of this pitch. It will be very interesting to see
where this pitch goes and what changes occur with it in the future.

One other aspect to throwing the slider pitch, is the safety of throwing this pitch.
There has been much debate as to whether it is safe to throw a slider. The debate centers
around what age is deemed safe for a pitcher to start learning how to throw this pitch.
Most high school pitchers are discouraged to throw the slider by their coaches. A lot of
high school coaches stay away from this pitch so that they do not hurt the young pitchers
developing arm. It is not until college that pitchers really start to develop this pitch and
have it become a part of their game. Walter Alston(1984), one time Dodgers manager
and author of the book, “The Complete Baseball Handbook” said in his book, “The
general feeling among pitching authorities is that the young pitcher should stay away
from the slider until he is physically equipped and has sufficient talent to throw it
properly” (as quoted in, Neyer & James, 2004, p. 39).

References
Ellis, S. (n.d.). Slider. In Pitching grips- how to grip and throw different pitches. Retrieved September 19, 2009, from http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/_grips.htm
James, B. & Neyer, R. (2004). The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers. New York: Fireside
Kalik, J. (2008, May 22). Slider. In Anatomy of a pitch. Retrieved September 19, 2009, from http://hardballtimes.com///of-a-pitch-slider/

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