Eno Sarris

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eno Sarris

It's still impossibly early. That struggling hitter or pitcher could turn it around next time out, and the narrative could change regarding their season. Just ask Rafael Devers. When it comes to pitching, we can at least look at the physical characteristics of pitches, which are very steady compared to the rapid ebbs and flows in results.

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eno Sarris

April 4, 2025 at 2:00 PM EDT The Los Angeles Dodgers will never lose again, the National League West is the best division we've ever seen (just ignore the Colorado Rockies), and torpedo bats are going to change the way baseball is played forever. OK, maybe we can't take too much from the first week of MLB's regular season. But as Eno Sarris has noted, Stuff+ can tell you some vital information over a short sample, and there are other trends we can monitor.

3 weeks ago | dailyherald.com | Eno Sarris

Chicago Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon (50) pitches to a Athletics batter during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall) AP When is a pitch a pitch? When is a new pitch type born? Who gets credit? At some point, the slider was not a thing. Then Charles Bender threw his “nickel-curve” so often in the early part of the 20th century that it caught on and became what we know as the slider today. At least, that’s how some stories go.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eno Sarris

When is a pitch a pitch? When is a new pitch type born? Who gets credit? At some point, the slider was not a thing. Then Charles Bender threw his "nickel-curve" so often in the early part of the 20th century that it caught on and became what we know as the slider today. At least that's how some stories go. Other pitchers tell different stories where they were the main character.

4 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eno Sarris

In the marketplace of pitches, stock in sinkers was performing awfully in the pitch-tracking era. Between 2008 and 2021, the use of sinkers was down over 40 percent as teams focused on high-spin riding fastballs and pitching for whiffs at the top of the zone. Sliders picked up the slack at first, and are still up at peak usage. But advances in seam-shifted wake and recent research showing the importance of having a wide arsenal combined to set the scene for a resurgence in sinkers in particular.