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The slurve is one of the newer pitches in baseball, but its popularity is beginning to rise. The term “slurve” is derived from a portmanteau of “slider” and “curve,” the two pitches that are worked together to throw a slurve. Florida Marlins starter Dontrelle Willis and Milwaukee Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow use the slurve to great effect.

Once the hand is positioned around the baseball properly the next step is to apply pressure in the right spots. The middle finger and thumb should squeeze the baseball hard, while the index finger just rests on top of the baseball. The other unused fingers just set off to the side of the baseball without doing much of anything. There are a few variations to the grip that will affect how it looks out of the hand and the amount of break the ball will have.

The first variation is to use a 2-seam grip instead of the 4-seam. The thumb and middle finger should still dissect the ball and the same type of pressure should be applied. Using this grip will make the pitch slightly slower, but that will allow for a larger break to happen. The other variation of the slurve grip is to use a 4-seam grip and then rotate the ball forward in the hand by 90 degrees.

A grip variation is to hold the ball with your index finger curled up on to the lower seam of the horseshoe with the middle finger extending outwards. The unique part is the release, as you will throw it like a football.

This is commonly used during little league, and high school. It dosen't hurt your elbow as a curveball does and it has great effect.

In order to master a pitch the pitcher must throw with it constantly, practice the grip repeatedly, teach himself the release point, and understand the mechanics behind the pitch that make it do what it does. The slurve is a difficult pitch to throw because it has a movement that is about half way between a slider and curve ball. The slurve is a pitch that is most effective when used with a knuckle-curve, or a cut fastball. One thing that has been found in common with most pitchers that throw the slurve is that the ball, if not thrown exactly right, has the tendency to come out of the hand with a large circle showing in the spin. This causes it to run flat, making it easy to pull hard, or it will appear very loopy to the batter, making it very easy to be hit a long way.