Things You'll Need:
- Baseball
- Baseball mitt
-
Step 1
Grip it like a two-seam fastball but spread your fingers on the outsides of the seams. This is the easiest way to throw the sinker.
-
Step 2
Place your thumb on the bottom seam. When you release the ball, push off with your index finger. Thrown properly, the ball should look like a two-seam fastball then sink at the end of the pitch.
-
Step 3
Keep your hand and fingers on the top of the ball until you release it. Failure to hold on to the ball long enough will make the ball "cut" instead of sink. By throwing the sinker, you are trying to create friction that slows the ball down.
-
Step 4
Set the pitch up with a fastball. The sinker is a good "out" pitch. Sinkers are good pitches to throw with two strikes or when you need to induce a double play. By throwing a sinker when a hitter is expecting a fastball, you can get outs because the pitch looks like a fastball fooling the hitter.
-
Step 5
Find your spot to throw the sinker. Low and inside is the best place to locate the sinker. Keep it away from the upper part of the plate because those sinkers usually end up over the fence.
