breaking ball

[ brey-king bawl ]

noun

, Baseball.

1. any pitch in which the ball deviates from a straight path as it approaches the batter:

   If you’re not sure if it was a slider or a curve, just say it was a breaking ball.

Word History and Origins

Origin of breaking ball¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

His fastball was just a tick down to start the game, but I thought he had some good breaking balls again, threw some good change-ups, battled.

From Washington Post

In the process of traveling another foot, for example, a higher percentage of breaking balls could break out of the zone, increasing walks undesirably.

From Washington Post

With the count 1-2, Bass threw a breaking ball that appeared to be headed to the upper inside corner of the strike zone.

From Washington Post

He explained that Scherzer was having trouble getting his slider on lefties’ hands, so the curve was added as a gateway to throwing breaking balls across his body.

From Washington Post

He took another big hack at a second breaking ball and missed again.

From The Daily Beast