Yoshinobu Yamamoto shut down the Yankees on Friday evening because the Dodgers took the sequence opener 2-1 in additional innings. The 25-year-old rookie threw seven scoreless innings whereas putting out seven Yankee batters.
When the Dodgers signed Yamamoto from Japan, everybody knew about his command and his split-finger fastball. His four-seam fastball velocity, nonetheless, caught everybody’s eye on Friday evening.
Earlier than Friday, the Dodgers’ right-hander had thrown simply three pitches at 97 mph or greater. He threw 29 such pitches within the Bronx in his shutout efficiency.
Maybe the ambiance and the adrenaline gave him an additional tick on his pitches. Ben Brewster of TreadAthletics believes Yamamoto made a mechanical change to present himself somewhat extra velocity on his pitches.
Brewster demonstrates that Yamamoto has been tilting his glove extra throughout his supply. In doing so, Brewster says this might enhance Yamamoto’s torso rotational velocity, producing extra energy as he goes in direction of the plate.
If that is true, Yamamoto may grow to be much more unhittable. Presently, batters have probably the most success in opposition to his fastball with a .250 batting common in opposition to and a .406 slugging proportion.
One piece of proof for these within the “adrenaline camp,” although, is that Dodgers reliever Michael Grove touched 99 mph – one thing he has by no means achieved in his profession. So, it’s going to take a number of extra begins to see whether or not or not it was mechanical or the playoff ambiance in New York.
Picture Credit score: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports activities
Have you ever subscribed to our YouTube Channel? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to remain updated on all the most recent Dodgers information, rumors, interviews, livestreams, and extra!
