Who said you have to throw it hard?
Not Austin Slater, that's for sure. The Yankees outfielder saved Luke Weaver at the first place in the ninth inning Wednesday night, with New York losing 10-1.
Slater works well, working singles around Dillon Dingler to get the last two outs of the frame. He does this by releasing.
Javier Báez saw the first two pitches from Slater each registered at 36.4 mph. The first floated there and went on a strike. The second one is the ball. Bayes took root on the next court, which José Caballero collected and tried his best to end the force to end the game.
It's not the first time Slater has taken the mound in a major league game – on August 29, 2021, he threw a third of the innings for the Giants in Atlanta's Braves.
Slater certainly felt good, back to home digging work as he led the ninth bottom with a single to right distance, with an exit speed of 104.4 mph.
But don't let the sharp single fool you – Slater is a soft right-handed with the original 0.00 era.