Toggle sidebar

OT: Best Overhand Curveballs

R

rudad02

All-American
Nov 7, 2010
8,853
5,773
0
Don't see the overhand curve[12 to 6] anymore. Was a really tough, if not impossible, pitch to hit.
Best I ever saw:
Camilo Pascual--Washington Senators & other teams. Ted Williams said that Pascual had the most feared curveball in the Big Leagues for 18 years;
Sandy Koufax--LA Dodgers. Williams didn't face Koufax, who broke out just as Williams was going out. Pretty GD unhittable;
Carl Erskine--Brooklyn Dodgers. Great overhand Curve. Struck out 14 yanks in the Series.

The following may not have been quite [12 to 6], but were really close & tough to hit: Nolan Ryan, Jerry Koosman, Bert Blyleven, Don Sutton, Herb Score.
 
Last edited:
e5fdny

e5fdny

Heisman
Nov 11, 2002
113,737
52,406
102
rudad02 said:
Don't see the overhand curve[12 to 6] anymore. Was a really tough, if not impossible, pitch to hit.
Best I ever saw:
Camilo Pascual--Washington Senators & other teams. Ted Williams said that Pascual had the most feared curveball in the Big Leagues for 18 years;
Sandy Koufax--LA Dodgers. Williams didn't face Koufax, who broke out just as Williams was going out. Pretty GD unhittable;
Carl Erskine--Brooklyn Dodgers. Great overhand Curve. Struck out 14 yanks in the Series.

The following may not have been quite [12 to 6], but were really close & tough to hit: Nolan Ryan, Jerry Koosman, Bert Blyleven, Don Sutton.
Click to expand...
@zappaa, do you think Rube Walker might have helped with those two?
 
R

RUforJERSEY

All-American
Jul 29, 2001
24,525
9,621
113
There's no such thing as a real curve on a thrown baseball. It's all an optical illusion. Bur seriously from my recollection former Met starter turned reliever Neil Allen also had a very good curve.
 
R

rudad02

All-American
Nov 7, 2010
8,853
5,773
0
RUforJERSEY said:
There's no such thing as a real curve on a thrown baseball. It's all an optical illusion. Bur seriously from my recollection former Met starter turned reliever Neil Allen also had a very good curve.
Click to expand...
No ****. Ever try hitting a 12-6 curveball.
 
MADHAT1

MADHAT1

Heisman
Apr 1, 2003
30,662
15,629
113
Camilo Pascual, brings back some old time bb memories.
Liked him and Pedro Ramos , both played for a loser, in Washington, but were winners in their own right
Camilo's curve was feared
Pedro's ( tobacco juice) Cuban Palm Ball was well known
 
R

Rutgers1976

Senior
Dec 30, 2005
3,438
769
0
from the mid 60s I thought I remembered Jim Bouton having a good curve before his arm went bad and turned to the knuckeball. I looked it up and found that he used to tell a story about Joe Morgan who said there are two types of curveballs. A curveball that you could see and occasionally hit and a "motherf***ing* curve that was unhittable. I believe he may have been referring to a Steve Carlton curve.
 
N

nutfromSEC117

All-American
Nov 2, 2002
7,775
5,769
0
Me !!
9 pitches 3 K’s all curves vs Wildwood SR year

Pat myself on the back 😂😂😂😂

way to go kids GIF by Children's Miracle Network Hospitals
 
MADHAT1

MADHAT1

Heisman
Apr 1, 2003
30,662
15,629
113
Rutgers1976 said:
from the mid 60s I thought I remembered Jim Bouton having a good curve before his arm went bad and turned to the knuckeball. I looked it up and found that he used to tell a story about Joe Morgan who said there are two types of curveballs. A curveball that you could see and occasionally hit and a "motherf***ing* curve that was unhittable. I believe he may have been referring to a Steve Carlton curve.
Click to expand...
I believe it was Carlton's slider that was considered unhittable
He did have a good slow breaking curve that set up his slider
and his fastball had some speed to it.
But the slider was what Steve was known for
 
Y

yesrutgers01

Heisman
Nov 9, 2008
121,616
37,276
113
I didn't see Koufax. First big CB's I got to see were Koosman and Blyleven. And when Doc was on- his curve just froze the **** out of hitters. Having a nasty attitude and a blazing fastball is always helpful too. I would put Nolan up there but his complete lack of control just keeps him off my list.
 
R

RUBubba

All-Conference
Sep 4, 2002
4,867
2,495
113
First three that came to mind were Gooden, Blyleven, and Kershaw.

Neil Allen did have a good one too.
 
R

rudad02

All-American
Nov 7, 2010
8,853
5,773
0
Westcoast said:
Gooden and Wainright come to mind.
Click to expand...
Yeah Gooden had a nasty hook. Can't seem to remember Wainright.
Best I ever faced belonged to Roger Bowman. Bowman played parts of three seasons with the NYG & parts of two with the Pirates. He had a great minor league career including one with the Jersey City Giants & several with Triple A clubs, including two no hitters in the Pacific Coast League.
After he retired he pitched for the Amsterdam Textiles, a fast semi- pro club from his hometown Amsterdam NY.
We used played the Textiles home & home for a couple of years. Bowman was a tall lefty with a great overhand curveball. One game he struck me out with it 3 times. And I was a real good curveball hitter & didn't strike out much. That ball started out at the bill of your cap & ended up at your shoe tops--straight down. I would see it swear I was going to hit it & swing right through it. Most have lost his mind one at bat & threw me a straight ball that I lined for a triple. He was also the only guy I couldn't run on. Brought that right leg up real high & just hung it there, no way I could tell where he was going to go.
 
W

Westcoast

All-American
Nov 14, 2001
22,416
5,976
113
rudad02 said:
Yeah Gooden had a nasty hook. Can't seem to remember Wainright.
Best I ever faced belonged to Roger Bowman. Bowman played parts of three seasons with the NYG & parts of two with the Pirates. He had a great minor league career including one with the Jersey City Giants & several with Triple A clubs, including two no hitters in the Pacific Coast League.
After he retired he pitched for the Amsterdam Textiles, a fast semi- pro club from his hometown Amsterdam NY.
We used played the Textiles home & home for a couple of years. Bowman was a tall lefty with a great overhand curveball. One game he struck me out with it 3 times. And I was a real good curveball hitter & didn't strike out much. That ball started out at the bill of your cap & ended up at your shoe tops--straight down. I would see it swear I was going to hit it & swing right through it. Most have lost his mind one at bat & threw me a straight ball that I lined for a triple. He was also the only guy I couldn't run on. Brought that right leg up real high & just hung it there, no way I could tell where he was going to go.
Click to expand...
Wainright just retired. But Carlos Beltran remembers his curve.
 
  • Angry
Reactions: yesrutgers01
R

rubaseball78_rivals

Heisman
Sep 29, 2005
14,051
16,131
0
Rutgers1976 said:
from the mid 60s I thought I remembered Jim Bouton having a good curve before his arm went bad and turned to the knuckeball. I looked it up and found that he used to tell a story about Joe Morgan who said there are two types of curveballs. A curveball that you could see and occasionally hit and a "motherf***ing* curve that was unhittable. I believe he may have been referring to a Steve Carlton curve.
Click to expand...
Carlton’s pitch was a slider.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom