eephus

English

Alternative forms

• eephus pitch (common full name)
• ephus

Etymology

The naming of the pitch is generally credited to Maurice Van Robays in 1942, who said "it's a nothin' pitch, and eephus ain't nothing'". However, it is not clear what the source for the name is; possibly Hebrew אפס (“nothing, zero”).

Noun

eephus (plural not attested)

1. (baseball) An off-speed pitch with unusually low velocity, intended to catch the hitter off guard.
   • 2003, Michael Seidel, Ted Williams: a baseball life:

     Sewell was determined to live or die by the eephus.

   • 2004, Fred Cicetti, Saltwater Taffy: A Summer at the Jersey Shore:

     He figured that, if it were another eephus, he'd have time to react.

   • 2005, Randy Roberts, The rock, the curse, and the hub: a random history of Boston sports:

     When, on his first pitch, Sewell served an eephus, Williams almost broke his back trying to get to it.

Anagrams

• pushee