Eephus Pitch Definition & Meaning

Definition

Etymology

Examples

eephus pitch American [ee-fuhs pich] / ˈi fəs ˌpɪtʃ / Also Eephus pitch, or ephus pitch

noun

Baseball.

1. a junk pitch of extremely low speed and with a characteristically high arc.

   He baffled many a hitter with his eephus pitch.

Etymology

Origin of eephus pitch

First recorded in 1940–45; name attributed to Maurice Van Robays (1914–65), outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, for a kind of junk pitch developed in the early 1940s by Truett “Rip” Sewell (1907–89), pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates; further origin uncertain. The proposed derivation from Hebrew efeṣ “nothing, zero” is considered unlikely

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

More importantly, Greinke still occasionally throws the archaic “eephus” pitch that lends the movie its title.

From Los Angeles Times

He struck out Ohtani looking with a 68 mph eephus pitch.

From Seattle Times

One day after Phillips offered hilarious moments for baseball fans — including a funny pitching delivery, a sliding catch coming off the mound and his 43-mph eephus pitch that was smacked for a grand slam — videos of Phillips made their way around the internet on Tuesday for a more serious and wholesome reason.

From Washington Times

Lee, an All-Star as a left-handed pitcher in 1973 and a Red Sox Hall of Famer, warmed up to thunderous applause before using an eephus pitch to record the strikeout.

From Washington Times

That’s a nice change to these negotiations, which have proceeded at the speed of a Zack Greinke eephus pitch.

From New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.