Pitching Style
Harden's throws four pitches, a fastball a changeup, a splitter, and a slider. Harden's fastball typically reaches speeds of 92–96 mph, and on occasion has broken 100 mph. Because of the grip he uses, his splitter often reacts much like a knuckleball (because it is difficult to predict what it will do), resulting in it often being referred to as the "ghost pitch". Former Oakland Athletics catcher Adam Melhuse coined the term "spluckle" (a combination of splitter and knuckleball) to refer to this innovative pitch.
Harden is well known for his ability to induce strikeouts; with the exception of his 2010 season with the Texas Rangers, he has struck out over a quarter of batters faced since 2006. His swinging strikeout rate of 13% is highest of all active major league starters since 2008.
Read more about this topic: Rich Harden
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