Darren O’Day didn’t originally make his college team but found success after switching to a sidearm delivery while messing around in a men’s league. His dad noticed the change, pushed him to try out again, and he made the team as a closer. That twist launched a long big-league career as a sidearm specialist. During spring training, O’Day shows how he messes with hitters using almost identical speeds on his fastball and off-speed pitches. He opens with a 78 mph off-speed pitch for strike one, then tosses a slightly faster 82 mph pitch. The batter, Walters, thinks it’s a fastball again and gets ready.
O’Day shakes off the catcher’s next call and decides to go with a slider. Walters gears up for another fastball, but the slider dives into his thigh, catching him swinging and getting plunked at the same time. Catcher Gary Sanchez has to tag him out to finish the strikeout, offering a quick apology after tagging him while he’s still in pain. It looks like it might’ve hit Walters in the groin, but replay shows it hit the thigh. Still, getting struck out and hit at once is a brutal combo. O’Day executes the setup pitch perfectly, and Walters falls right into the trap.