change-of-pace ball
- noun
- /ˈʧeɪndʒ əv peɪs bɔl/
- Specialized
:
bola de cambio de ritmo
- A well-timed change-of-pace ball can completely throw off the batter's timing.
Examples
-
The pitcher surprised everyone by throwing a change-of-pace ball in the final inning.
-
The pitcher threw a change-of-pace ball to confuse the batter.
-
She practiced her change-of-pace ball until it became her secret weapon.
-
Did you see that change-of-pace ball he threw?
-
A well-timed change-of-pace ball can completely throw off the batter's timing.
-
The pitcher surprised everyone by throwing a change-of-pace ball in the final inning.
-
She practiced her change-of-pace ball until it became her secret weapon.
Synonyms
5
5.6
A slow baseball pitch that tricks the batter into swinging too early
3
6.4
A slow pitch that fools a batter who expects a fastball
1
7.6
A baseball throw slower than a fastball that fools the batter
1
8.3
A slow pitch in baseball thrown to trick the batter
How Slow
- Specialized
- Jargon
1
7.6
- Jargon
5
6.2
- US
55
3.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
change-of-pace + ball
The phrase literally combines 'change (of) pace' (a shift in speed) with 'ball' (a baseball pitch), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer it refers to a pitch thrown at a different speed to disrupt the hitter. The compositional logic is straightforward and similar constructions exist cross-linguistically in sports vocabulary, making the meaning readily derivable from the parts.
Etymology
Change-of-pace ball comes from the simple idea of changing the speed of a pitch: the pitcher makes a sudden change in the batter's expected pace by throwing a slower ball. So, it means a pitch that is much slower than the 'fastball' the batter expects, used to fool the hitter.