Stephen Strasburg and tipping pitches in the World Series, a breakdown
What Happened
Washington Nationals star pitcher Stephen Strasburg takes the mound in Game 6 of the 2019 World Series, with his team trailing the Houston Astros 3 games to 2. Strasburg had a rough first inning, giving up two runs on a leadoff home run by George Springer and a sacrifice fly by José Altuve. Alex Bregman then crushed a solo home run and Yuli Gurriel followed with a deep fly ball out to end the frame. After the inning, Strasburg reveals to reporters that he was "tipping his pitches" - inadvertently giving the Astros hitters clues about what pitch was coming. He explains that he was shaking his glove in a way that telegraphed his grip, allowing the Astros to recognize his fastball versus off-speed pitches. Former MLB player Kevin Frandsen had noticed this potential tell in Strasburg's delivery a few games earlier. Frandsen points out that Strasburg's pinky finger would flex differently on his fastballs versus curveballs and the positioning of his glove also hinted at the pitch type. In the third inning, the broadcast shows Strasburg making an adjustment, constantly shaking his glove and hand to mask any potential tells. "If it's going to shake when I change my grip, might as well just shake it no matter what," Strasburg says, determined to prevent the Astros from picking up on his pitching signs. The Nationals ultimately fall 7-1 to the Astros, but Strasburg's ability to recognize and correct his pitch-tipping issue is seen as a bright spot. "Good for the Astros for being so damn good at picking that up and good for Strasburg for making the adjustment," the analyst comments. Whether it was a true mechanical flaw or just a mental adjustment, Strasburg's willingness to adapt in the face of the Astros' keen observational skills is a testament to his competitiveness and professionalism. As the series shifts back to Houston, both teams will look to gain any edge they can in the hard-fought championship battle.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentfun development yesterday at the end of
the game when Strasburg said all this
stuff about tipping pitches so let's get
into this one it's brought to you by
auction of Champions calm first let's
just hear what Strasburg has to say
Stephen Strasburg two runs in the first
inning nothing thereafter
what was the change you made sari
shaking my gloves so they didn't know it
was throwing without throwing so you
know obviously you know look for certain
things and you know I just think men art
for you know giving me the tip tell me
about how he saw that or did you
recognize that I definitely didn't
because uh you know it's something that
you know has burned me in the past and
they burned me there in the first but
you know it's again it's just a part of
the game and you know you got to do your
best you know stay consistent in your
delivery on each pitch
so speaking of that Kevin Frandsen X MLB
player he tweeted out that he saw
something in Strasburg a couple games
ago where now what we're looking at here
is the glove he said look at the bill
closest fastball farthest away off-speed
also the pinky is flared or flexed on
the off-speed pitches so that's what he
noticed but he says he cleaned this up
as the postseason went on this is
yesterday and yeah the level is pretty
consistent
nothing crazy the pinky I don't know I
don't really have an eye for that stuff
but let's keep going they were
definitely all over him in the first
inning I mean Springer opens up with the
first pitch fastball home run Altuve
sits on this curve and pokes it in there
for the sac fly I mean there I mean if
you're Strasburg maybe you're saying
yeah what the hell was that Bregman
takes him deep and then even the last
out Gary ell he rocked that one real
deep so some maybe you're going maybe
something was going on here's the first
thing the glove isn't shaken they're
looking at the glove and you can see
when he's getting his grip maybe that's
what they were seeing now in the third
you can see him flaring his glove on his
hip maybe that helps flare the pinkie
all the time no matter what's going on
and then you can see him it's so slight
but you can see him shake the glove the
thumb of the glove everything's shaking
so they
can't tell when he's changing his grip
when he's not if it's gonna shake when
he changes his grip might as well just
shake it no matter what just so they
cannot stop looking at that here's the
first on the left the third on the right
this is so slight like I can barely even
pick it up because I'm just a [ __ ]
guy on my couch and not a baseball
player but they picked this [ __ ] up it's
wild this one was brought to you by
auction of Champions go there guaranteed
stuff you can maybe get it you know a
tip pitch glove from Strasburg use
discount code john-boy when you register
you get $20 off your first purchase this
stuff interests me to no end good for
the Astros for being so [ __ ] good at
picking the step up and good for
Strasburg for making the adjustment even
if this wasn't really an adjustment it's
kind of just a mental adjustment for the
pitching coach to say the reason they
were hitting you is this and we're gonna
fix it even if it's not true it's just
kind of the mental hurdle of like
telling your pitcher I know why they hit
you it wasn't because you're pitching
bad it was because of this now go out
there and do this and you'll be fine
mental pick up or it's a real thing that
the Astros were looking at and he
changed either way it's there's a lot of
mental stuff going on in this sport at
all times