Boston – Talking to Tigers right-hander Matt Manning, you can understand the infatuation with his slider.
For one, it’s new. For another, it’s an elite pitch and for the most part, it’s been effective.
“That’s why it was hard for me (to limit the usage)," he said. "I was getting such good results with the slider right now. I came in with that player program, like that’s what people do. You have a good pitch, you throw it a lot more.
“Plus, it’s been a slider league. So, OK, if I’m going to adapt to the league, I’m going to throw more sliders.