breaking ball
5
6.2
- noun
- /ˈbreɪkɪŋ bɔl/
- Jargon
:
bola rompiente
- Garza threw six full-count breaking balls, with Francisco being an aggressive hitter and the Braves' pitcher waiting on deck.
- throw a breaking ball
- hit the breaking ball
- a good breaking ball
Examples
-
He can run his fastball up into the low 90s and complements it with a breaking ball and a changeup.
Blog text (5) -
He struck out swinging at a 1-2 breaking ball to end the inning.
Blog text (9) -
This guy starts me off with a breaking ball.
-
Throw him some breaking balls.
-
I was just gonna ask Crash to show me how to throw a breaking ball.
-
See how he handles that breaking ball.
-
What are you swinging at a breaking ball for?
-
Nathan's third pitch was a breaking ball, low and taken.
Blog text (28) -
He mixed in some breaking balls.
Blog text (27) -
The pitcher threw a breaking ball that confused the batter.
Synonyms
42
6.7
A baseball pitch that spins and bends as it reaches the batter
15
5.3
A baseball throw that curves as it reaches the batter
11
6.6
A fast pitch that breaks away from the pitcher's throwing hand
4
9.1
A thrown baseball that curves as it reaches the batter
3
5.0
A baseball throw with spin that curves as it reaches the batter
1
8.8
A baseball pitch that curves toward the same side it was thrown from
How Curved
Surface Forms
Morphology
The idea of a "ball" that is "breaking" gives some clue — it is a ball that changes or 'breaks' its path — but the technical sense of "breaking" as curving due to spin is a sport-specific extension not obvious to a B1 learner who knows only the basic word senses. Without baseball knowledge learners might think of something being physically broken, so the relation is partially transparent but requires prior exposure.
Etymology
Breaking ball The noun breaking ball comes from the image of a breaking ball that seems to 'change direction' or suddenly curve as it reaches the batter. That's why it means a pitch thrown with spin that curves and is hard to hit.