NFT: Why do some baseball pitches ...

Pitches drop in velocity on the way to the plate. It's against the laws of physics to do otherwise.

Jump refers to "rise" in a fastball. Which also doesn't happen. Two forces are interacting with a 4 seam fastball on the way to the plate: gravity is pulling it to the ground, and backspin creates air turbulence that counteracts its drop.

In theory, with enough spin and velocity you could get a ball to rise. But it would require velocity and spin well beyond what any pitcher has achieved.

So when hitters say a fastball jumps, what they're seeing is the ball dropping less than their mind expects.

what they said at the time was exactly that, his ball didn't drop at the normal rate, making it seem like it was rising to the naked eye.

That dictates how and when the ball breaks.

that Koufax was the only pitcher that could make the low fastball rise. That can happen. High fastballs rise. Gravity and air resistance work against the ball's velocity. It is at its fastest as it leaves the pitcher's hand.
Reduction in velocity and the spin rate can cause a pressure differential on the ball's surface which will provide an upward force. This is what makes airplanes fly.

a fantastic "rising" fastball. I know there isn't much love on this site for him, but he did

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