fastball

fast·ball | \ ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯl

How to pronounce fastball (audio)

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Definition of fastball

: a baseball pitch thrown at full speed and often appearing to rise slightly as it nears the plate

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Examples of fastball in a Sentence

He struck him out with a fastball.

Recent Examples on the Web During an abbreviated but dominant junior season, Jarvis routinely sat 94-96 mph with his fastball to go with a change-up and an improved slider. — Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, "Arizona Diamondbacks sign top pick Bryce Jarvis," 27 June 2020 The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder threw four innings with a fastball that maxed out between 88-91 miles per hour with a 74-76 mph breaking ball. — Ben Thomas | Bthomas@al.com, al, "2 talented in-state high school pitchers commit to play baseball at Alabama," 23 June 2020 Chayce McDermott, a Ball State sophomore and Pendleton Heights graduate, dialed his fastball up to a consistent 94-95 miles per hour. — Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, "He's not throwing 95. But Franklin College pitcher raises profile with sidearm delivery," 22 June 2020 Roa, who had a 5.85 ERA in four starts, has a legitimate four-pitch mix with a fastball that touches 96 mph, according to Baseball America. — Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Reds take chances on players with 'higher ceilings' in shortened MLB Draft," 16 June 2020 The publication said Harrison’s fastball sits at 90-92 mph but touches 94. — Henry Schulman, SFChronicle.com, "Giants pay whopping bonus to sign De La Salle High lefty Kyle Harrison," 15 June 2020 Brown’s fastball already sits in the mid-to-upper 90s with the potential to get even faster — a potential that has Major League Baseball scouts so interested in the Flower Mound senior despite unique circumstances. — Joseph Hoyt, Dallas News, "An unprecedented MLB draft awaits due to coronavirus — but Flower Mound’s Cam Brown is in a win-win situation," 10 June 2020 The newest Phillies draftee has been recorded with a fastball hitting 100 mph this spring, but the right-hander normally sits in the mid-90s during games. — oregonlive, "Inside former Jesuit pitcher Mick Abel’s MLB draft night: A call from Bryce Harper, a ‘surreal moment’," 10 June 2020 Lacy compiled huge strikeout numbers in college with a high 90s fastball, wipe-out slider, solid changeup and power curveball, giving him the repertoire to get to the majors quickly. — Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brewers excited to get UCLA centerfielder Garrett Mitchell with 20th pick in first round," 10 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fastball.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

30 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Fastball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fastball. Accessed 5 Jul. 2020.

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