Cut fastball

In baseball, a cutter, or cut fastball, is a type of pitch thrown in the manner of a fastball but so as to break slightly as it reaches home plate. A common technique is to release a fastball with a slight pressure from the tip of the middle finger. The cut fastball is most famously associted with Mariano Rivera, a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees. Rivera became one of best [[closer (pitcher}|]]s of all time by relying almost entirely on this pitch in his early career. Rivera's cutter is so effective because although he routinely throws it 95 mph, the ball still has significant movement away from right handed batters and in on the hands of left handed batters.