Which Arizona Diamondbacks player threw the “eephus” pitch?
…..Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson, although it was done unintentionally. It was an extremely slow pitch when the batter (Fred Lewis of the S. F. Giants) was expecting a fastball, AND the batter was distracted by the sound of a boat horn in the harbor just as he was winding up for his swing, and it resulted in a strike. The Eephus pitch surprises the batter, and thus results in a strike. It’s an overhand pitch, with a high arc, but a slow (comparatively) speed, generally about 60 mph. This pitch was “invented” in the early days of baseball, around 1941. It was the result of Pirates pitcher Rip Sewell’s adaptation of his pitch due to an injury (a gunshot)in his foot. It forced him to adapt his pitching style due to his limited body motion because of the injury. A teammate, Maurice Van Robays, named the new pitch–Van Robays explained that “Eephus means nothing, and so does the pitch”. Steeeeerike!!!! Sources: h
