Title: How Gausman’s re-introduction of a sinker could make him more dangerous
Date: May 3, 2024
Original Source: Sportsnet
Synopsis: In my latest at Sportsnet, I wrote about Kevin Gausman reintroducing a new pitch that could play well off his splitter-fastball combination, and spoke to him about why and how he’s reintegrating the pitch.
TORONTO — Teoscar Hernandez should know Kevin Gausman’s arsenal well at this point.
Teammates in 2022, Hernandez had an up-close look at a season that landed Gausman on several Cy Young ballots, with a 3.35 ERA and even stronger underlying metrics. He’d also faced Gausman eight times before they were teammates and six more times in 2023. Gausman is also primarily a two-pitch pitcher, leaning on an elite split-finger fastball and a traditional four-seam fastball more than 85 per cent of the time.
Hernandez should have had a good idea of what to look for.
But on April 28, Gausman caught him off-balance with something new: A two-seam fastball, or “sinker.”
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 