Gaylord Perry being checked for illegal substances on the mound in 1973 | AP
The forkball is a rare pitch thrown in baseball similar to the split-finger fastball, otherwise known as the splitter. It is thrown with more of a snapping of the wrist but less with tips of the fingers than the splitter. This motion causes many pitchers around the MLB to shy away from using it.
There were pitchers who played in the early 1900s who threw some variation of the forkball, but Leslie Ambrose “Bullet Joe” Bush is credited with having fashioned it into its current form. Bush supposedly had a weary arm so it was something he resorted to doing.
Like a curveball, there is a sharp downward break on the ball when the pitch is executed properly. In terms of which pitch came first, the forkball came well after the curveball, which was rolled out in the mid 1800s.
Gaylord Perry was the undisputed king of the forkball. He didn’t arrive on the scene in San Francisco until 1962. He threw a devastating forkball but it wasn’t the only pitch listed on his resumé.
Perry’s rein as on the mound was dominating, but also mired in two decades of sheer controversy. He was often accused of cheating by opposing managers and players.
While paid as a player by the MLB, Perry had the gall to rub it in their face, even going so far as to write an autobiography titled Me and the Spitter. Amazingly, it wasn’t until after 20 years in the league that he was ejected from a game. Even with that, he was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1991 on a 77.2% ballot.
There are several modern day, less unruly pitchers who use the forkball as part of their repertoire. In Japan, it is more popular than the curveball.
