The change-up is a pitch in baseball that is based on deception. When a pitcher throws a change-up, he is throwing a pitch that is quite bit slower than his standard fastball. It also might curve or dive on its journey to home plate. However, the key to the effectiveness of the change-up is that it appears to be a fastball when it is released and the batter is fooled by the pitch.
Circle Change-Up
The most common change-up thrown at the professional level is the circle change. When this pitch is thrown, the pitcher's thumb and forefinger form a circle on the inside of the ball as the pitcher prepares to throw it. The other three fingers provide the thrust behind the pitch. The pitcher throws it with a fastball motion, but it may come into the hitting area 8 to 12 mph slower than a fastball. The hitter is fooled by the arm action of the pitcher into thinking that he will see a fastball.
Forkball
The forkball was a pitch used primarily in the 1950s and perfected by Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Elroy Face. Today, many pitchers throw their change-up by mimicking what Face and other pitchers did with the forkball. They place the baseball as far back between their forefinger and middle finger as possible. When the pitch is thrown, it appears to be a fastball to the batter. However, it's much slower than a fastball and it sinks down and away from a left-handed batter when thrown by a right-handed pitcher. It can be almost impossible to hit because the batter's timing is thrown off by the arm action and the location is not where the batter anticipates.
Palm Ball
Instead of holding the ball on the fingertips the way most pitchers do when they throw a fastball or slider, some pitchers hold the ball deep in their palm. This appears to be a fastball or a slider when the pitcher is letting the ball go, but the position of the ball slows it down dramatically. Hitters have a difficult time adjusting to the slowness of the pitch and either don't wait long enough to swing or wait too long.
Great Change-ups
Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants is considered one of Major League Baseball's most dominating pitchers, as of 2011. Lincecum's primary pitch is his hard fastball and that sets up every other pitch he throws. However, it's his change-up that is most often his put-away pitch because it deceives the hitter. Greg Maddux was one of the best pitchers in baseball even though he never threw the ball harder than 93 mph. Maddux had excellent location and a devastating change-up. Maddux's brother, Mike, is a former league pitcher and the pitching coach for the Texas Rangers. He describes an excellent change-up as a difference maker for many pitchers. "It's the mighty equalizer," Maddux told AOL News in a May 2010 story. "Today's hitting, the way it's going, everybody is really trying to stay off everything but the fastball." More and more guys aren't going to get off the fastball in an at-bat. The change-up is the one pitch we have that spins like a fastball and looks like a fastball."
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