noun
bait pitch; sucker pitch
Baseball term for a pitch designed to tempt the batter into swinging, often appearing outside the strike zone.
彼は釣り球で三振を奪った。
He struck the batter out with a bait pitch.
あの投手は釣り球がうまい。
That pitcher is good at throwing sucker pitches.
見せ球 is a show pitch meant to distract or set up the next pitch, while 釣り球 is specifically meant to lure the batter into swinging.
決め球 is a pitcher's go-to pitch to finish off a batter, whereas 釣り球 is a deceptive pitch to induce a swing.
Compound of 釣り (tsuri, 'fishing') and 球 (tama, 'ball'), literally 'fishing ball', referring to a pitch that 'fishes' for a swing.