Gyro ball

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The gyroball is a throwing technique used by a pitcher in baseball . It is thrown with a twist , the axis of rotation of which runs in the direction of flight, which virtually negates the Magnus effect . The gyroball is considered to be one of the most unusual throws in baseball.

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At the beginning of the millennium, two Japanese scientists named Ryutaro Himeno and Kazushi Tezuka speculated that a baseball could be thrown so that the spin axis was exactly in the direction of flight, i.e. H. like a bullet or a football fly. The gyroball has a high speed, but neither descends like a fastball (which has a slight backward spin ) nor like a curveball or a slider (both forward and sideways spin). Video analysis showed that several Japanese pitchers threw the gyro ball unconsciously ( Shunsuke Watanabe of the Chiba Lotte Marines thought he was using a curveball), but so far there are few pitchers in professional sports who consciously use the gyro ball.

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