slurve

American  

[slurv] / slɜrv /

noun

Baseball.

1. a pitch similar to a slider in delivery but with more curve to the ball’s path.

   He throws a hard slurve, which has resulted in a lot of swinging strikeouts.

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Etymology

Origin of slurve

First recorded in 1975–80; blend of slider ( def. ) and curve ( def. )

Example Sentences

Badly slumping Freddie Freeman was bailed out of an 0-and-2 count on a wild slurve from Soroka that hit his foot.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2025

Berrios threw his slurve 39 times, more than any other pitch.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 8, 2024

That included adding a pitch that’s widely called a slider but acts more like a slurve or even a curveball.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2021

Through the years, he has also whittled down an overloaded repertory to just two pitches — the fastball and the slurve.

From New York Times • Mar. 10, 2014

McGuire also throws strikes with his curveball and harder slurve, and his changeup is average to fringe-average.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 8, 2010