In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws the ball.
I’m wondering whether there’s a rule of thumb for which word to use for ball, depending on the sport. For instance, it seems that balón de fútbol is a lot more common than bola de fútbol.
The are three words for “ball” that differ by use and region and can be quite confusing,
Pelota: The generic term for a ball used in play or sports (ex. tennis, golf, baseball).
“Dame la pelota por favor”
Balón: Used for larger balls in “formal team sports” (ex. soccer, basketball, volleyball).
“Hoy jugamos con un balón nuevo”
Bola: Refers to the “shape” of a ball (ex. snowball, crystal ball, bowling ball).
“Hagamos bolas de nieve”
In Chile, Argentina or Uruguay, the word “pelota” is often used for almost everything, including what others call a “balón.” For example, “pelota de fútbol” (soccer ball) is very common there, while in other countries “balón de fútbol” is the standard term.
If in doubt, “pelota” is widely understood everywhere. Use “balón” for team sports if you’re in Spain or want to be precise. Remember you can always use the diminutive “ita” to be precise for smaller objects, pelotita, pelotitas, bolitas, etc. But not with balón, baloncito at least in the places that I’ve grown nobody uses that.
Hope it helps!