So does Daisuke Matsuzaka throw a gyroball? New evidence brought out by Tom Verducci over at Sports Illustrated says that no, the gyroball doesn’t exist.

Here’s the truth: Matsuzaka’s changeup is so wicked, so unlike most every changeup anyone has seen, that people don’t know what to make of it. Matsuzaka has told me he does not throw the gyroball. Every Red Sox staff member and official I’ve talked with said he does not throw it.

“What the Marlins thought was the gyro was the changeup,” one of the Boston sources said. “That’s what people think is the gyro. It’s his best pitch.”

Said another Red Sox insider, “Japan is famous for copious scouting reports. If you throw a pitch once in your life the scout will include it in the report. Dice-K enjoys letting people think he throws it. There’s no harm in it. Why not just give them one more thing to think about?”

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Gyroball
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Dice-K
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So was Dice-K pulling everyone’s chain when he said this back on February 15th.

(We’ve heard so much about the gyroball. Do you throw it and will we see it this season.)

[Matsuzaka pauses and grins] Hmm… how to answer this? I knew this was coming. I prepared some optional answers. Do I say I can, that I have it? Or do I ask what pitch you are referring to? Overall, if I have the chance, I will pitch that ball.

And here is what I had said just last week after watching the game and hearing the analysis on ESPN.

He even threw the mythical “gyroball.” Folks, this pitch simply doesn’t exist. When he throws this pitch, it is a change up with screwball action. All I know is he threw that ball and it looked like it was going to go over the middle of the plate and as soon as it got near the plate, the bottom fell out. Of course, it was called strike 3.

The big question here is who are we supposed to believe? Are we supposed to believe the guy, Verducci, who said baseball was clean after the “Game of Shadows” came out or Dice-K or ESPN? Well, two of the three aren’t credible. So I will go with Dice-K and say, No, the pitch doesn’t exist.