SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — At a time when the velocity of every pitch is displayed on television and teams are building up phalanxes of hard-throwing relievers to try to replicate the success of the defending world champion Royals, one of baseball’s most successful teams is not going along for the high-speed joyride into the late innings.
For the Giants, slow and steady — emphasis on steady — wins the race.
Over the past three years, with growing emphasis around baseball on late-inning fireballers, San Francisco has posted an average reliever fastball velocity of 91.6 miles per hour, the lowest figure in the major leagues.