SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – It was just one spring training at-bat, but it highlighted how a refined slider could become a very important pitch for Tyler Mahle.
Facing Colorado Rockies star Nolan Arenado in the second inning of the Cincinnati Reds’ final spring training game before the season was suspended because of the novel coronavirus, Mahle misfired on his first two pitches. In a 2-0 count against one of the National League’s top hitters, Mahle battled back with a swing and miss, and a foul ball, on a pair of elevated fastballs.
With the count evened, 2-2, Mahle spun a slider that caught the bottom of the strike zone.