Lakeland, Fla. — It was some kind of breaking ball, that much was certain. And it was effective. Orioles hitters kept flailing at it, eight swings and misses on that pitch alone.
But what was Michael Fulmer throwing? This pitch was reading 83-86 mph on the radar gun. His slider last year was 88-90 mph. His curveball last year, the few he threw, was 78-79 mph. So what was this mid-80s pitch with a late horizontal break?
“A slider,” said Fulmer, who threw 83 pitches over five innings Monday in the Tigers’ 4-2 spring loss to the Orioles.