Trey Yesavage rocks back to deliver a pitch and his arm whips down from behind his head as his body tilts to the left, the highest arm slot of any right-handed pitcher this postseason.
“I’m sure some people think that would hurt to go all the way up there,” Toronto’s 22-year-old rookie said. “Everyone thinks it’s unique, which it is.”
Yesavage starts Game 5 of the World Series for the Blue Jays on Wednesday night in his fifth postseason outing after just three career regular-season starts. He allowed two runs over four innings in the opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, lacking the explosive fastball that dominated the New York Yankees for 5 1/3 hitless innings in the AL Division Series.
His 65-degree arm angle was exceeded in the postseason only by Alex Vesia at 67. A 29-year-old Dodgers left-hander, Vesia is missing the World Series because of a personal matter.
Yesavage’s arm slot caused a release point 7.09 feet above the field, according to MLB Statcast, the second-highest among starting pitchers with at least 200 regular-season pitches behind Justin Verlander’s 7.1.
“Some of that has to do with mobility and being younger,” said 37-year-old Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen. “You just hope that they can find a way to stay healthy and mobile.”
Yesavage started the season at Class A Dunedin and kept getting promoted. Pitching coach Pete Walker watched him only briefly during spring training.
“It’s not a slot you would necessarily teach. It doesn’t seem to be the most natural slot,” Walker said. “Look at Verlander, you look at him and other pitchers over the years, but it just works for them. And once they get a feel for it, it’s not changing.”
Over his seven starts, Yesavage has thrown 43.5% fastballs averaging 94.4 mph, 29.6% sliders averaging 88.5 mph and 26.9% splitters averaging 83.8 mph.
His fastball averages 11.4 inch downward movement with gravity, his slider 30 and his splitter 31.9.
“Everything plays off each other,” Yesavage said. “Everything looks like a heater out of the hand, and then it could be a heater, slider or splitter. It’s just a three-sided coin flip.”
After Yesavage won his postseason debut against the Yankees, he struggled in a 10-2 loss to Seattle in Game 2 of the Championship Series, allowing five runs in four innings, then won Game 6 by giving up two runs over 5 2/3 innings.
Yesavage didn’t get a decision in the World Series opener, leaving after four innings with the score tied 2-2 in a game Toronto went on to win 11-4.
“When I’m not able to execute the fastball efficiently, that’s when my off-speed stuff starts to disappear,” he said.
Players get ready to face Yesavage when he’s on the road by hitting against the Trajekt machine that can mimic his pitches.
“It’s just another wrench that happens in baseball,” said the Dodgers’ Max Muncy, who in the opener against Yesavage singled on an up slider and struck out on a splitter than spun well wide of the strike zone. “Every day you’re going to face someone who has something funky about them and for him it’s his release height. You try to watch the game, you try to see what he’s doing to other players and you try to communicate in the dugout.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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