The Grip
In order to throw a curve ball, a pitcher must hold the ball so he can put maximum rotation and spin on the ball. That spin is what allows a curveball from a right-handed pitcher to curve down and away from a right-handed batter. The position of the hand is to have the middle finger along one of the seams on the ball and the forefinger next to the middle finger. The thumb should be directly under the ball. The other two fingers need to be off the ball. When the ball is in this position, the pitcher snaps his wrist as he delivers the ball. The back of his hand ends up facing the batter. This will impart enough spin on the ball to make it curve.
Air Resistance
The spin on the ball will create an imbalance of air resistance around the baseball as it travels through the air. The spinning will cause the air to flow differently over the top of the ball than it does on the bottom of the ball. The imbalance of force is called the Magnus Principle. In 1852, physicist Gustav Magnus discovered that an object spinning in liquid is forced to move sideways. That principle weighs on the curve ball.
Raised Stitches
The imbalance of air pressure and the spin imparted by the pitcher's motion would be enough to make any round ball curve. However, there are 108 raised red nylon stitches on the ball that create friction as the ball spins. That increases the distance that a ball can curve.
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