Meaning & use
four-seamer in baseball
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Meaning
nouncountablesportinformal
in baseball, a fast pitch thrown with the fingers across the four seams of the ball, making it go straight and fast
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a four-seamer' or 'two four-seamers'.
Patterns
- throw a four-seamer
- a four-seamer for a strike
The pitcher relied on his four-seamer to get ahead in the count.
He threw a four-seamer at 98 miles per hour for the final out.
A good four-seamer can set up the breaking ball later in the at-bat.
Word forms
| plural | four-seamers |
|---|
Common combinations
- throw a four-seamer
- The rookie can throw a four-seamer in the high nineties.
- four-seam fastball
- His four-seam fastball is his most reliable pitch.
- live on the four-seamer
- Some closers live on the four-seamer and rarely use off-speed pitches.
- four-seamer for a strike
- He spotted the four-seamer for a strike on the outside corner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- four-seam fastball
- The full, more formal term; 'four-seamer' is the shortened, informal version used in casual talk.
- rising fastball
- Describes the visual effect of a four-seamer that appears to rise; not all four-seamers are called this, and it is less precise.
Word family
- two-seamer noun
- a fastball gripped across two seams, which moves more than a four-seamer
- seam noun
- the raised stitching on a baseball
Commonly confused: four-seamer in baseball or two-seamer?
four-seamer in baseball vs two-seamer
A two-seamer is gripped differently and usually has more movement; a four-seamer is generally straighter and faster.
Practice
The pitcher's _____ was so fast that the batter swung late and missed.
Choose one answer.
'Four-seamer' fits because it is known for being a straight, fast pitch that can overpower batters. 'Two-seamer' moves more and is not typically described as simply fast and straight. 'Curveball' and 'changeup' are slower off-speed pitches, so they do not fit the idea of a fast pitch that makes the batter swing late.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “four-seamer in baseball”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.