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

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

With a forkball that looked as if it was dropping perpendicular to the ground, he struck out the first two batters he faced.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2025

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

"Iwakuma has a wicked slider and a superb forkball that he backs up with a passable fastball," Allen replied via e-mail.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 9, 2010