slider

1 a person who slips or slides because of loss of traction [syn: skidder, slipper]

2 someone who races the luge [syn: luger]

3 freshwater turtle of United States and South America; frequently raised commercially; some young sold as pets [syn: yellow-bellied terrapin, Pseudemys scripta]

4 a fastball that curves slightly away from the side from which it was thrown

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aɪdə(r)

Etymology

Noun

1. Agent noun of slide; one who slides.
2. A pitch thrown with added pressure by middle and ring fingers yielding a combination of backspin and sidespin, resulting in a motion to the left when thrown by a right handed pitcher

   The closer had a wicked slider that was almost unhittable.

3. A small greasy hamburger

   We ordered five sliders.

4. A piece of teflon or similar material attached to a curling shoe that allows the player to slide along the ice

Translations

See also

• curveball
• fastball
• cut fastball
• two-seam fastball
• split finger fastball
• sinker
• screwball
• knuckleball

In baseball, a slider is a pitch halfway between a curveball and a fastball. When pitched, the slider breaks laterally and down, with more speed than a curve ball but less speed than a fastball. The break on the pitch is shorter than that of a curveball. The release technique of a slider is between a curveball and a fastball. The slider is similar to the cutter, a pitch which is thrown as a fastball, but differs in the sense that a slider tends to be more of a breaking ball. A notable slider is thrown by John Smoltz which come in looking like strikes and then break out of the strike zone. Francisco Rodriguez throws a hard curveball that is often mistaken for a slider.

History

The innovator of the slider is debated, but some source Charles Albert Bender as the first to use the slider, then called a "nickel change" in the 1910s. Bender used his slider to help him achieve a no-hitter and win 212 games in his career. Bender was the first pitcher to win six World Series games.

References