Slider

In baseball, a slider (also known as a "nickel curve") is a pitch halfway between a curveball and a fastball, with less break but more speed than the curve. It will tend to drop less and move toward or away from the batter more than a curve. The extra speed can fool the hitter into thinking it is a fastball, until too late. Some pitchers also use a cut fastball (or cutter) which is one step closer than the slider to the fastball on the spectrum between fastballs and curves. A pitch that has movement similar to both a slider and a curveball is sometimes called a slurve.

The slider is also sometimes called "the great equalizer", as its development caused pitchers to regain some dominance over hitters. The slider also causes great stress and wear on a pitcher's arm: for this reason the Dodgers organization forbade its pitchers to throw sliders for many years after the pitch became popular.

Pitchers known for throwing sliders include:


 * New York Yankees pitcher Randy Johnson
 * Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis
 * Hall of Famers Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton