Inbaseball, abrushback pitch is apitch (typically afastball) thrown high and inside thestrike zone to intimidate thebatter away from the plate on subsequent pitches.[1] It differs from thebeanball in that the intent is not tohit the batter, nor does it target the batter's head.[2] Hitters will oftencrowd the plate in order to have a better swing at pitches on the outside half of the plate. The hitters hope that the pitcher will be scared to throw inside because they might hit the batter. The brushback helps apitcher to "reclaim" the corners of the strike zone by forcing the batter to stand further away.
Play-by-play announcers sometimes call a high brushback pitch as being "high and tight". It is also referred to aschin music.
While the brushback can be an effective part of pitching, thehome-plate umpire may warn or eject a pitcher if they feel the pitch was intentionally trying to hit the batter.
