포크볼, forkball

일본 투수들이 많이 던져서 일본에서 만들어진 구종이라 생각하는 경우가 많지만, 원조는 미국이다. 1910년대 불렛 조 부시라는 선수가 고안했다고 알려져 있다. 이름의 유래는 볼의 그립. 손가락을 넓게 벌려 공을 잡는 것이 음식 찍어먹는 포크 모양 같다고 하여 포크볼이라는 이름이 붙었다는 것이 정설.

그립은 손가락을 넓게 벌린다. 사실상 공의 양 끝을 검지와 중지 사이에 걸치는 셈. 그리고 그 상태로 공을 던지되, 손목으로 스냅을 주어 던진다.

단점은, 손가락이 중지과 검지의 끝도 아니고 중간 부분으로 공의 양 끝을 잡을 수 있을 정도로 매우 길어야 한다는 것이다. 그래서 신체 조건이 안 되면 무슨 수를 써도 던질 수 없는 구종. 선동열이 포크볼을 던지기 위해 손가락 사이를 찢는 수술을 받을까 고민했다는 이야기는 유명. 결국 수술을 받지 않고 스플리터를 사용했다. 과거 OB-두산 베어스에서 활약했던 주무기가 포크볼이었던 투수 이광우는 실제로 포크볼을 더 잘 던지기 위해 손가락 사이를 5mm 가량 찢는 수술을 받았다고 한다. 윤석민이 신인시절 불펜 투수 코치로 있던 이광우가 찢은 뒤 봉합한 자국을 보았고 팜볼까지 연구하는등 온갖 변화구에 관심가지는 윤석민도 손가락 길이의 문제로 고민을 해보았지만 포기했다고 한다.

포크볼을 애용하는 일본에선 특이한 포크볼을 여러 볼 수 있다. 약지를 중지에 겹쳐 악력을 더해서 던지는 그립도 있고, 스기우치 토시야는 검지와 약지로 잡고 중지를 띄우는 그립을 잡았다고 한다, 윤석민이 자신이 유일하게 못던지는 포크볼을 연마하던 중 이범호에게 들었으나 아무리 해봐도 중지가 걸리므로 말도 안된다고 판단했다. 이를 듣고 김태균은 스기우치는 직구, 슬라이더, 체인지업이 주 구종이라 포크볼이 아닌 체인지업 그립일 것이라고 답했다.


어떤 포크볼은 회전을 극도로 줄여 너클볼마냥 흔들리며 들어가기도 한다. 한국에선 포크볼의 황태자라고 불렸던 전 한화 이글스 투수 이상목과 현대 유니콘스에서 뛰었던 미키 캘러웨이의 포크볼이 이랬다.

 

 

 

 

Many Japanese pitchers throw the ball a lot, so people think it was made in Japan, but the originator is the U.S. It is known that the ball was devised by a player named Bullets Joe Bush in the 1910s. The name "Grip of the Ball" is derived from the grip of the ball. It is widely believed that the name "Fork Ball" was given because catching the ball with wide fingers resembles a fork in food.

Grip spreads fingers widely. It effectively puts both ends of the ball between the index finger and the middle finger. Then, he throws the ball in that state, but gives a snap with his wrist.

The downside is that the finger should be very long enough to hold both ends of the ball in the middle part, not the tip of the middle and index fingers. That's why he couldn't throw a ball at all costs if he wasn't in good physical condition. It is famous that Sun Dong-yeol thought about whether to get a surgery to tear between his fingers to throw a fork ball. Eventually, he used a splitter without undergoing surgery. Pitcher Lee Kwang-woo, whose main weapon was a fork ball in the past for the OB-Doosan Bears, is said to have had a surgery to cut about 5 mm between his fingers to throw a fork ball better. Yoon Suk-min, who was interested in all kinds of breaking balls such as Lee Kwang-woo, who was a bullpen pitcher coach when he was a rookie, saw a tear and sutured mark, and studying palm balls, reportedly gave up even though he thought about the length of his fingers.

In Japan, which often enjoys folk balls, many unique folk balls can be found. There is a grip on the ring finger by overlapping the ring finger with the middle finger and adding grip, and Toshiya Sugiuchi reportedly grabbed the grip that floats the middle finger by holding the ring finger with the index finger and ring finger. Yoon Seok-min heard it from Lee Bum-ho while he was grinding the fork ball, which he was the only one who could not throw, but decided that it was nonsense because it took him to stop no matter how hard he tried. Kim Tae-kyun replied that Sugiuchi would have a change-up grip, not a fork ball, because fast balls, sliders, and change-up were the main pitches.


Some types of fork balls use extremely small rotations to enter the ball swinging like a knuckle ball. In Korea, Lee Sang-mok, a former Hanwha Eagles pitcher who was called the crown prince of folk balls, and Mickey Callaway, a former professional baseball player with the Hyundai Unicorns, were examples of such folk balls.