Cutter

What is a cutter?

A cutter is a type of pitch that is a variation on the fastball. The cutter pitch cuts away from the hitter. If a righty throws it, it will cut away from a right-handed hitter; if a lefty throws it, it will cut away from a left-handed hitter.

The cutting motion causes hitters to miscalibrate their swing a little bit. It can lead to swing-and-misses, broken bats, and lots of strikeouts if used correctly.

Although it is a type of fastball, it is typically a little slower than a normal four-seam fastball.

How is the cutter fastball used?

The cutter is not used by as many pitchers as a typical fastball, but it can be a devastating weapon for pitchers who master it.

The cutter moves in on hitters of the opposite hand of the pitcher (so lefty hitters vs righty pitchers or righty hitters vs lefty pitchers). As a result, the hitter can often make contact with the handle instead of the fat part of the bat. That may cause weak contact or even a broken bat.

Cutters are often thrown by relievers, especially closers, who use them as their primary pitch

How to throw a cutter?

A cutter grip is similar to the a fastball grip, but the pitcher places both fingers towards one side of the baseball. This produces the cutting motion when the pitch is thrown.

Cutter Examples

The most famous cutter pitcher was Mariano Rivera. The cutter was essentially Rivera’s only pitch. On the strength of that pitch alone, he accumulated 652 saves and was elected to the Hall of Fame

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