Do you remember way back in October when Lance McCullers threw 28 straight curveballs to close out Game Seven of the American League Championship Series? In the aftermath, I wondered if we were witnessing the death of the fastball. There may be a little hyperbole in that claim—pitchers will always throw fastballs—but we’re also seeing hitters do more damage off fastballs than ever before. Teams like the Astros or the Yankees are pushing their pitchers to throw more breaking balls and offspeed pitches and this change in approach came to a head during the playoffs.
Generic fastballs just don’t cut it
