NY Times · May 13, 2023
The Batters Have No Idea What’s Coming Next
Shane McClanahan of the Tampa Bay Rays has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his eight starts so far this season.Credit...Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesOnly five starting pitchers in Major League Baseball average 97 miles per hour with their fastballs. All of them throw that pitch more than half the time, except for Shane McClanahan of the Tampa Bay Rays. He has too many other options.
“It’s hard to be on time for 97, 87, 86, 82,” McClanahan said on Thursday, by his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, listing the typical velocity readings for his fastball, slider, changeup and curveball.