Baseball pitching masterclass with Canberra Cavalry's Frank Gailey

Canberra Cavalry pitcher Frank Gailey teaching the very basics of pitching a baseball. Photos and video: George Tsotsos.

For a baseball noob like me who has never thrown a baseball before in my life, I marvel when I sit in the stands of MIT Ballpark watching Frank Gailey, Steve Kent and Shota Imanaga throw a variety of pitches.

With an array of fastballs, curveballs, forkballs and sliders, Gailey has me bamboozled, with no clue what delivery is coming next.

To get to know some of the basics behind what it means to be a good pitcher, I headed to the Canberra Cavalry’s training session to get a one-on-one pitching masterclass with the man himself.

Gailey, who grew up in Philadelphia and has played baseball since he was four-years-old, is in the middle of his second season with the Cavs and has been one of the side’s best pitchers during his time in Canberra.

He took time out from training to teach me the basic grips, what stance to take when you are on the mound and why pitchers raise their leg before they throw the ball.

Watch the video below for the full masterclass.