Palmball or Changeup

[themuel1]

Hey all,

I understand the grip is different, but are there any real differences between the pitches?

I.e. Does one break more or later? Is one harder to control?

[raneman85]

They're basically the same pitch, same as the forkball and splitter. Guys who throw the straight change are actually throwing the old timers palm ball. The palm ball will/can be a few mph slower because the third finger is on the side of the ball allowing it do be deeper in the hand. That's how it got the name palmball. The palm ball can break a little more because of the third finger. The key to both pitches is throwing it with a fastball motion. A lot of amateur pitchers tip it off when gripping it or slowing down their release. The deeper the grip the slower the speed and thus more break.