Edwin Diaz shut down the Marlins in dominant fashion, entering the bottom of the ninth with a two-run lead. He started off with a slider for a swinging strikeout, then made quick work of the next batter using the same simple but effective sequence: slider outside, high fastball, then another outside slider. The fastballs sat at 100 mph, right at the top of the zone, and the sliders danced enough to miss bats—even when they didn’t sweep as much as usual.
Each pitch sequence was nearly identical, regardless of whether he faced a righty or a lefty. First came a wide slider, then a high fastball, followed by another slider on the outer edge. The final at-bat gave Diaz a shot at an immaculate inning—three strikeouts on nine pitches—but Joey Wendle fouled off the eighth pitch. Diaz smiled, missed the perfect frame, then finished the job with another wipeout slider at the bottom of the zone.
Everything in Diaz’s performance looked precise. The command on the fastball was tight, and even when the slider lacked sweep, he landed it where he wanted. The final at-bat showed it best: three well-placed pitches that left Wendle shaking his head and Diaz walking off with the save.