Quote:
Originally Posted by clamel
I copy this from MLB.com
Splitters are often referred to as "split-finger fastballs," but because of their break and lower velocity, they don't hold much in common with a typical fastball. They're generally thrown in the same situations that would see a pitcher throw his breaking and off-speed pitches. A splitter is generally only slightly faster than a changeup.
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Sorry, I have to differ with MLB here. These days, a typical split-finger fastball is indeed thrown as more of an off-speed pitch, and it's thrown at around 87 to 88 mph. But pitchers aren't throwing it as hard as they can, or they don't have the skill to throw it harder and still control it and get the same results. But you
can do this. Jack Morris often threw it so hard that it was probably in the low 90s on many occasions. It wasn't as fast as his normal fastball, but it still had some excellent velocity. In contrast, Bruce Sutter used it more like you see it used today, as more of an off-speed pitch. At any rate, it doesn't really matter because it all depends on how you define a "fastball" in the first place.