Tag: Ryan Pressly

Astros closer Ryan Pressly ended the game with an absolutely unfair curveball to Connor Wong

MLB’s best spin rate, and it shows.

We’ve grown so accustomed to seeing big-league closers shut down games with triple-digit fastballs (and sinkers!) that you really have to appreciate what Astros reliever Ryan Pressly has done this season.

Pressly has a fastball that typically tops out at a 95 or 96 mph, but he makes up for that just-above-MLB-average velo with the highest spin rates any batter will face this season. Even with MLB cracking down on sticky substances, Pressly’s spin rate is something else — 100th percentile in curveball spin and 97th percentile in fastball spin.

So, no matter what pitch a batter is seeing from Pressly, it’s going to be deceptive. And that curveball, specifically, becomes borderline impossible to hit.

Just look at how the Red Sox’s Connor Wong handled it during Wednesday’s game at Fenway Park.

With two outs and a runner on in the ninth inning, Pressly closed out the game by drawing a wild swing from Wong on a curveball that Statcast measured at 3,496 RPM. Out of the top 30 spin rates we’ve seen in baseball this season, Pressly accounts for all but four of them.

It’s just a cruel pitch to have to face with two strikes.

MLB fans were also impressed with the curveball — you can’t blame them either. It was that good.

Umpire Vic Carapazza needlessly caused a scene and ejected Ryan Pressly with two outs in the 9th inning

Enough is enough, MLB.

MLB umpires have been under plenty of scrutiny this season from fans after what has seemed like a steady stream of incompetent performances behind the plate. But even when umpires have a solid game calling balls and strikes, they find ways to needlessly inflict their presence on the game.

It doesn’t get much worse than what we saw on Sunday from umpire Vic Carapazza.

With just one out remaining in the game and Astros closer Ryan Pressly on the mound, Carapazza stopped play to issue a warning when Pressly missed his spot a bit inside to Kansas City’s Michael A. Taylor. While the pitch didn’t come close to hitting Taylor, Carapazza seemed to think Pressly was retaliating for a Yordan Alvarez hit by pitch rather than just trying to get the final out.

The entire scene was ridiculous.

The umpires convened and issued warnings to both benches. And when Pressly tried to argue his case to Carapazza, the umpire ejected Pressly. Again, there was just one out remaining in the game. There was no reason for Pressly to throw at Taylor in the middle of the at-bat. But Carapazza just couldn’t help himself because MLB’s umpiring problem is out of control.

The Astros had to bring in Phil Maton on minimal warmup and then Rafael Montero to get that final out.

Pressly was understandably upset after the game and voiced his displeasure with the umpiring decision. He said via The Houston Chronicle:

“I guess we’re not allowed to pitch inside in the big leagues anymore. I’m human. I will miss inside. To warn me after something like that and to throw me out after questioning it, you have to be better than that.”

MLB fans also had similar thoughts on the whole ordeal.