Three Finger Max

Max Scherzer changed the grip on his fastball to alleviate pain due to his knuckle injury:

His normal fastball grip – the one used by nearly every pitcher in the pros – employs two fingers on top of the ball with the ring finger bent along the side, providing stability in the hand.

That formation aggravates Scherzer’s injury by pressing the ball onto the knuckle. Earlier this spring, he straightened the ring finger, placing it on top of the ball along with his middle and index finger, a grip that alleviates the pressure and pain.

”What else am I going to do?” Scherzer said. ”I’m willing to do it. I want to do it. It’s just part of what I’ve got to go out there and do – to pitch right now.”

I’m interested to see if the ball moves differently than his former pitch. If he throws the pitch with the same velocity but different movement, batters are going to need to relearn how to approach Scherzer. I suppose he could even mix in the former grip now and then to really play with batters’ heads.

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