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How Technology Has Changed the Way Pitchers Learn Their Craft

PITTSBURGH — Pitching is one of those things that frequently seems to straddle the line between art and science.

If you hand someone a baseball and tell them to throw a fastball, what happens next might have any different number of different traits.

There’s the grip. Is it two-seam? Four-seam? Split-finger, maybe?

Then there’s the stance. Windup? Stretch? Some deliveries have a big, exaggerated leg kick. Some have a slide step. Some are smooth and effortless, some are herky-jerky.

Then there’s the arm angle. Over the top? Three-quarter? Side-arm or submarine?

Finally, there’s what happens when the ball is let go.