breaking ball

noun

baseball
: a pitch that curves
The pitcher threw a breaking ball.

Examples of breaking ball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The strikeout dip is both concerning and real, but there also isn’t a smoking gun in the underlying metrics, an alarming velocity dip or a breaking ball that just doesn’t have the same snap. Andy McCullough, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026 Getty Images This isn’t what’s typically meant by a breaking ball in baseball. Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026 Lord has natural ability to spin the baseball, and has gone from throwing a high-spin slurvy breaking ball to showing a more distinct slider and curveball. Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2026 The second swing was more of an off-balanced flail, the telltale sign of being fooled by a breaking ball. Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for breaking ball

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Cite this Entry

“Breaking ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breaking%20ball. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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