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Yu Darvish’s New Knuckle Curve Spin Rate Greater Than 75% of MLB

Yu Darvish recently added another pitcher to his incredibly diverse repertoire: a knuckle curve. He learned the pitch from future Hall of Famer Craig Kimbrel last week before taking the mound against the San Francisco Giants and had no issue incorporating into live action.

“He felt it in the bullpen and broke it out in the game,” Joe Maddon told members of the media. “And it was great. He’s able to manipulate his hand and his arm in ways most guys cannot. He’s just a different level of talent.”

While Darvish’s standard curve is typically at around 70-75 mph, this new variation is thrown roughly 10 ticks harder.