Splinker

The Splinker is a cross between a Sinker and Splitter, featuring the former's speed, and the latter's break. It was first thrown by Jhoan Duran and is now practiced by Paul Skenes, Mason Miller, and Ben Joyce. Unlike the splitter it often exceeds 1,400 RPM, with its slowly rotating relative rarely breaking 500 RPM. MLB's Statcast system has yet to create a category for splinkers, and lists them as sinking fastballs, or sinkers.

Further Reading

• Do-Hyoung Park: "'I've never seen anything like it': Meet the 'splinker' pitch", mlb.com, April 5, 2022. [1]
• Manny Randhawa: "Wait, what? Skenes discovered his splinker by accident", mlb.com, September 12, 2024. [2]
• Alex Stumpf: "A splinker? Skenes' hybrid pitch may be his most electric", mlb.com, May 16, 2024. [3]