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.

---

Etymology

Origin of forkball

First recorded in 1915–20; fork + ball ¹

Example Sentences

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

Sasaki has the fastball, the wipeout forkball, and a developing slider — and he just turned 21.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 7, 2023

He threw two fastballs and a forkball to Alfredo Griffin, who grounded out to third, and that was his whole World Series.

From New York Times • Oct. 20, 2011

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

From Slate • Aug. 1, 2011