If you want to know how to throw an eephus, you’re not alone. In fact, Ted Williams hit a home run on an eephus pitch during the 1946 MLB All-Star Game. It’s not a difficult pitch to learn and throw properly – but you should always do your best.
Rip Sewell’s eephus pitch
Rip Sewell was a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who spent 13 years with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Tigers. He was named to four National League All-Star games. He is best known for his “Eephus pitch”, a baseball pitch which was developed by Sewell.
Sewell began throwing the eephus pitch after accidentally shooting himself in the foot. It was a shotput-like delivery that had a large amount of backspin. He used the pitch to limit a batter’s ability to hit long balls.
Sewell spent time in the minor leagues before he made his MLB debut in 1940. In 33 games, he was 16-5 with a 2.80 ERA. After a hunting accident in 1941, Sewell changed his delivery style. The result was a slow delivery that became known as the “Eephus pitch.”
Rip Sewell’s eephas pitch has numerous nicknames, including the “fossum flip” and the “soa bubble”. Sewell also had other nicknames for it, including the “soa bubble” and “soap bubble.”
The eephus pitch was so different from conventional pitches that the batter had to change his technique in order to hit it. In contrast, a conventional pitch would come in like a shot from a cannon. The eephus would linger in the strike zone for a long time before a batter could hit it. Sewell’s eephus would set several pitch hang time records.
Whether or not the eephus became a staple of Major League Baseball history is debatable. But there is no doubt that a baseball history enthusiast would lament the loss of an important tool in the game. A right-handed starting pitcher, Sewell played for the Detroit Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates for thirteen seasons. He was a four-time All-Star in the National League. And he was also credited with inventing the eephus pitch.
Jennifer Hudson’s eephus pitch
Jennifer Hudson has many honors – she’s an Emmy winner, Grammy winner, Oscar winner, and Tony Award winner. And she threw a perfect first pitch on Tuesday. The pitch is known as an “eephus pitch,” because it’s super slow and high-arcing, intended to throw off a batter’s timing. This unusual pitch is not commonly seen in big-league games.
The award-winning actress has been interested in baseball since childhood. She used to watch young players warm up, and would learn proper technique from them. Hudson has also been involved in charity work for years, and has established the Julian D. King Foundation to help underprivileged children in Chicago. The foundation was named in honor of Hudson’s nephew, who was tragically killed in 2008.
Hudson, who is also a fashion designer, threw the ceremonial first pitch for the Boston Red Sox. She wore a royal blue dress with an exposed black zipper that ran half-way up her thigh. She also wore a short-sleeve red Sox jersey that featured her nickname “JHUD” and number 17.
Ted Williams’ eephus pitch
The “Eephus pitch” was invented by Major League Baseball player Truett Banks “Rip” Sewell. Sewell played for 13 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers and is credited with inventing the pitch. In fact, Sewell played in the National League All-Star Game four times.
The eephus pitch, as it is called, is a pitch that is intentionally thrown with slow speed and a high amount of spin. It can throw off the timing of a batter and can rob them of their connection. Sewell’s eephus pitch was so effective that it extended Sewell’s career, as he pitched until 1949.
The “eephus pitch” has many nicknames. Some players have referred to it as the balloon ball, the blooper ball, the parachute, or the rainbow pitch. In addition to its name, the “eephus pitch” is also known as the ‘Monty Brewster pitch’. The term is a reference to the Monty Brewster character in the Brewster’s Millions movie.
The eephus pitch became famous when Ted Williams hit a home run on it. It landed in the center field seats. The blooper pitch, which is a modified version of the eephus pitch, is a shotput-like delivery that generates a high amount of backspin. Aside from being a famous blooper pitch, Sewell’s eephus pitch has become one of the most recognizable baseball moments.
Unlike a regular pitch, an eephus requires a batter to provide all of his power in order to hit it. Thankfully, Williams was outside the batter’s box when he hit the ball. Sewell was right to encourage Williams to use his legs to generate more power, and it paid off. 380 feet away from the right field wall.
Ted Williams’ knuckleball
The eephus pitch is a type of knuckleball invented by pitcher Rip Sewell in 1941. Sewell was an all-star pitcher and played in the major leagues for 13 years. The pitch has never been popular in the Major Leagues, though it does make an occasional appearance. In 1946, it was used by Ted Williams as a defense against the long ball.
The baseball pitch is considered a knuckleball if it has a hard-to-hit ball. According to Ted Williams, the hardest pitch to hit is one at the low outside corner of the strike zone. In his book The Science of Hitting, he describes the effect of swinging at a particular place on a pitch. He then ties a batting average to the pitch.
The eephus pitch is one of the most unique pitches in Major League Baseball. It is a very low-speed junk pitch with an arc and is almost exclusively used as a trick pitch in modern times. However, the eephus pitch can be an effective pitch for a pitcher with good arm speed.
The eephus pitch is thrown overhand, much like other pitches, but it has an unusual arc to its trajectory. It also has a slow velocity, making it similar to a slow-pitch softball delivery. Its slow velocity makes it a trick pitch, and the eephus can make the hitter panic and ground out.
In 1946, Ted Williams’ knuckleball was called an eephus pitch after it was hit in a game against Rip Sewell. The eephus pitch was so effective that hitters thought it was a fastball and would often foul it off. Rip Sewell used it in over 300 Major League games.
Ted Williams’ knuckleball as an eephus
In 1946, Ted Williams hit a home run on a pitch called an “eephus” during an All-Star Game. Williams had challenged National League pitcher Rip Sewell to throw him an eephus pitch, but Sewell had already thrown it once and was about to try again. When Williams fouled off the second one, he ran toward the mound and hit the ball, sending it out of the park.
The eephus pitch is typically thrown with an overhand motion and is aimed upward. It is most effective when it drops from the top of the strike zone to the bottom. Ted Williams, however, is the only batter to hit a home run off an eephus.
Rip Sewell used the eephus pitch in over 300 Major League games. A couple of years after Williams’ home run, he hit a game-winning homerun on an eephus pitch thrown by Sewell.
In the 1946 All-Star Game, Sewell served up a three-run home run to Ted Williams. Despite his slow velocity, the ball was hit 380 feet beyond the right field wall! That was a home run for the ages. It is not clear if Sewell intended to hit the home run, but it was enough to give Williams a memorable moment in his baseball career.
In the 19th century, Sewell was a pitcher for the Athletic Club of Dansville, New York. He was one of the first pitchers to use the pitch. Another early adopter was James “Slab” Burns. Sewell made the pitch famous, though.
