what is a slurve pitch

A slurve pitch is a type of breaking pitch in baseball that is a hybrid of a slider and a curveball. It is thrown with a curveball grip but with a slider velocity, resulting in a pitch that breaks down and away from a right-handed hitter. The term "slurve" is a portmanteau of "slider" and "curve". The pitch was first thrown by Johnny Sain of the Boston Braves in the 1940s, and has since been used by other notable pitchers such as Kerry Wood, Kazuhisa Ishii, and Alfredo Aceves. To throw a slurve, a pitcher must grip the ball with the index and middle fingers on top of the ball, with the thumb underneath and the other two fingers tucked behind the ball. The pitcher then throws the ball with a motion that combines the arm speed of a slider with the wrist action of a curveball.