Chicago Cubs catcher Tucker Barnhart nailed one of the nicest eephus pitches you’re likely to see this season, and it was one that resulted in a strike.
During an 8-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Friday, Barnhart earned a strike on a batter with the eephus, a high-arch pitch that comes at a slower speed.
Barnhart just nailed the delivery of this very unorthodox pitch, which landed right within the strike zone and caught the batter without much of a chance to get a good swing in on the ball.
It’s genuinely tricky for a batter to do anything with a well-placed eephus pitch, so kudos are in order for Barnhart for his execution.
Tucker Barnhart with one of the highest called strikes in history. pic.twitter.com/3RLMZPtcH6
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 4, 2023
Statcast is reading Barnhart's pitch as an eephus.
One of them came in at 37 mph. Barnhart started backing up off the mound 16 inch softball style the minute it left his hand.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) August 4, 2023
Even though the Cubs got blasted in this contest, Barnhart’s perfect eephus pitch had to have been a definite highlight for Chicago.
It’s not something a lot of pitchers can do, so we’ll be curious of Barnhart breaks this out at any other point this season.