fastball
noun
fast·ball
ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯl 
: a baseball pitch thrown at full speed and often appearing to rise slightly as it nears the plate
Examples of fastball in a Sentence
He struck him out with a fastball.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Orioles did damage on his four-seam fastball and sinker — Westburg, for instance, homered on a 92.4 sinker left over the middle.
—
Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2024
Batters have about two-tenths of a second to decide whether to swing; the muscles in a human eye don’t work quickly enough to track the fastest fastballs.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
For context, that means the duck was flying as fast as Hall-of-Famer Aroldis Chapman’s fastball and twice as fast as the world’s fastest land mammal, the cheetah, can run.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 17 Apr. 2024
But that was all the Marlins got off Harrison, who used his fastball and changeup on all but five of his 85 pitches while holding Miami off the board over his other five innings.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
Indeed, after establishing his fastball earlier, Glasnow mixed in more of his off-speed pitches his second and third times through the Twins’ overmatched lineup.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Glasnow’s game started — fittingly — with a strikeout, dotting a 97-mph fastball on the inside corner to Edouard Julien.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
An Alex Verdugo double on a near middle-middle fastball and Jose Trevino four pitch walk put two more on base immediately after the home run.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Players hit in groups against a pitching machine set close enough to home plate to simulate 90-plus miles per hour fastballs.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2024
Batters have about two-tenths of a second to decide whether to swing; the muscles in a human eye don’t work quickly enough to track the fastest fastballs.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
For context, that means the duck was flying as fast as Hall-of-Famer Aroldis Chapman’s fastball and twice as fast as the world’s fastest land mammal, the cheetah, can run.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 17 Apr. 2024
But that was all the Marlins got off Harrison, who used his fastball and changeup on all but five of his 85 pitches while holding Miami off the board over his other five innings.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
Indeed, after establishing his fastball earlier, Glasnow mixed in more of his off-speed pitches his second and third times through the Twins’ overmatched lineup.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Glasnow’s game started — fittingly — with a strikeout, dotting a 97-mph fastball on the inside corner to Edouard Julien.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
An Alex Verdugo double on a near middle-middle fastball and Jose Trevino four pitch walk put two more on base immediately after the home run.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Players hit in groups against a pitching machine set close enough to home plate to simulate 90-plus miles per hour fastballs.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fastball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Fastball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fastball. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fastball
noun
fast·ball
ˈfas(t)-ˌbȯl
: a baseball pitch thrown at full speed
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