forkball

American  

[fawrk-bawl] / ˈfɔrkˌbɔl /

Or fork ball

noun

Baseball.

1. a pitch thrown with the ball held deeply between the index and middle fingers, so that those fingers resemble a two-tined fork, causing the ball to dip sharply as it nears home plate.

   Toward the end of his career, he developed a wicked forkball.

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Etymology

Origin of forkball

First recorded in 1915–20; fork + ball ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forkball

Contreras has a fastball that reaches the upper 90s and a forkball inherited from his father.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026

The Dodgers’ Hideo Nomo, with a quirky windup and devastating forkball, pioneered Japanese players coming to the U.S. by quickly becoming an All-Star.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2023

“The way that forkball drops, forget about it.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 17, 2022

Camp, the last of seven Atlanta pitchers, and entering with a .060 career batting average, tied the game with two outs in the 18th inning on an 0-2 forkball from Mets reliever Tom Gorman.

From New York Times ● May 8, 2016

Cap pushed back, chewing bubble gum, and talking about his forkball, he seemed quite personable.

From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2011