Wiffle ball

A Wiffle ball or whiffle ball, is a type of baseball made of hollow plastic with one hemisphere being solid, and the other containing a number of oblong holes.

The effect of this design is that it makes it very easy to throw various types of breaking balls by positioning the cut-out portion of the ball in a particular direction in the hand. It is thus simple to throw a curve ball, a screwball, a sinker or a rising sidearm ball by positioning the holes at the correct angle when releasing the ball; other even stranger effects can be obtained with unorthodox arm angles and spin added to the basic pitching motion.

Because the ball is made of very light material, it is ideal for kids to play with, as no one can be hurt by an errant throw, or to play in confined spaces like a backyard, since the ball will not travel far even when hit on the nose (in any case, most batters will use an equally light bat to try to whack at the bizarre pitches generated with the ball).

While the wiffle ball (a trademark name) is marked as a toy, tournaments for grown-ups are also organized, but also in "miracle league" type settings, for children whose physical challenges would make it impossible to play with a normal ball.

In 2017, the wiffle ball was inducted in the National Toy Hall of Fame, operated by the Strong Museum in Rochester, NY.

Further Reading

• Ted Berg: "There's a National Toy Hall of Fame, and Wiffle Ball is finally enshrined", "For the Win!", USA Today Sports, November 13, 2017. [1]
• Matt Monagan: "How a 10-year-old started a pro Wiffle Ball league: From his front yard to SoFi Stadium", mlb.com, November 11, 2022. [2]

Related Sites

• The company's official website