| Shuuto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First Seen | |
| Manga | Act I - Chapter --- |
| Anime | S2 - Episode 37 |
| Notable Users | |
| Pitchers | Sanada Shunpei |
The Shuuto is commonly regarded by many Western fans and players to be a derivative of the 2-seam Fastball, this pitch was perfected in Japan and used by many famous Japanese right-handed pitchers. The pitch breaks down and in to right-handed batter when thrown by a right-handed pitcher. This pitch was designed to jam batter and prevent solid contact on the ball. Similar to the Cutter, a good Shuuto may causes wooden bat to break as it hits the inner side of the bat as the hitter is jammed by this pitch.
Grip
The Shuuto can be thrown using a similar grip to that of a 2-seam fastball and by applying more pressure on the index finger when releasing the pitch, the pitch will spin on a slightly tilted axis and breaks close the plate due to the air pressure differential created by the spin.
Users
| Pitcher | Description | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Sanada Shunpei | The Shuuto is a staple pitch in Sanada's arsenal. This pitch has helped Sanada jams numerous strong batters and escape out of pinch situations. | See infobox |
Trivia
- The difference between the 2-seam fastball and the Shuuto is quite blurry outside of Japan and most MLB players would identify 2 pitches to be the same with perhaps little difference in the level of horizontal breaking movement. Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux was reported to have been a famous user of the Shuuto which at the time was widely considered to be just his 2-seam fastball that has especially more horizontal breaks than others. Similarly, Sawamura's 2-seam fastball can also considered to be a Shuuto due to its similar breaking action and the fact that both pitches has essentially identical grip.
Reference