What is the 'American spork'? Tylor Megill talks about new pitch he used in final start
NEW YORK — Tylor Megill thought "Why not?"
With the ability to glean lessons from one of the best pitchers to throw the splitter and massive hands to engulf the baseball, the 28-year-old right-hander began to tinker with the pitch before the 2023 season.
In his final start of the season on Saturday afternoon, Megill deployed his new splitter for the first time against the Phillies. The new pitch gave Megill a new unexpected wrinkle as he turned in his best start of 2023, allowing one earned run and striking out seven over seven innings in the Mets' 4-3 win over the Phillies at Citi Field.
The stellar outing helped Megill close the season with a 9-8 record and lower his ERA to 4.70, but it was his fourth pitch, which he holds the same way as Kodai Senga's ghost forkball, that had the starter excited moving forward. He coined the pitch the "American spork," which was crafted under the direction of Triple-A Syracuse pitching coach Kyle Driscoll and Senga.
"I’ve got the fingers, my hands spread out super far, so it feels natural for me," Megill said. "I’ve been telling (Senga) each start the past three or four starts, like, ‘I’m going to throw it. I’m going to throw it.’ I was waiting for that lead where I could go out and if something were to happen, it would kind of just be a blip, whatever happens, happens."
Megill said he threw the new splitter three times in the outing with strong results. He picked up his third strikeout on an 84.6 mph version in the bottom of the third inning (it registered as a changeup). He also got Brandon Marsh to ground out on it in the top of the fifth and threw it for a ball against Bryce Harper.
"It’s another pitch on the advanced scouting report for next year," Buck Showalter said with a smile.
The origins of Tylor Megill's 'American spork'
Megill had been toying with the idea of adding a splitter for some time, and he threw it some on the side during spring training. Despite the urge to hone it more, he figured he'd be best suited to move forward with his normal repertoire as the 2023 season began.
Once he was sent down in late June, he began to practice it more, all the while tweaking his mechanics to bring back velocity without taxing his arm.
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"When I came back up in Baltimore and just watching Kodai every day, it's kind of just like get it going, work on it, be able to throw with it," Megill said. " It seems like splitters are in play right now. I want to help myself in any way possible."
It was a work in progress to get the pitch to spin less and "let gravity take over." Finally, over his last two or three bullpen sessions, Megill began to see results.
With a 4-0 lead after two innings on Saturday, Megill was ready to give the new pitch a chance.
"Me and Kodai have been talking a lot and just every time he goes out, it just fires me up because I want to keep throwing it because the way he throws it and the swings he gets, it’s like, ‘Why not?’" Megill said
Where does the pitch fit?
At times this season, Megill has struggled getting his arm speed of his fastball and changeup in line. If he showcased maximum effort, his changeup would climb into the low-90s. If he dialed it back, some of the deception was lost.
"The splitter is something I can throw really good arm speed with more intent and the velo’s going to cut off," Megill said. "A regular changeup, you can’t really do that or else the velo’s going to pick up. I was able to throw a lot of changeups today, regular changeups that I normally throw great, and then I have a splitter that I’ve been working on to be able to have a lot of drop-off and variations between the fastball."
The initial results were strong on Saturday, and Megill plans to continue to work on his new pitch in the offseason. He's encouraged by the versatility of a four-pitch mix, adding in his mid-90s fastball and a slider as his true secondary pitch.
Tylor Megill finishes strong
Justin Verlander's early injury allowed Megill to find himself back in the rotation and make a second straight Opening Day start, but he was sent down when his ERA swelled to 5.17 and WHIP to 1.67.
Megill settled in after his return following the trade deadline on Aug. 5. After three rough starts in his transition back with the Mets, Megill posted a 3.00 ERA with a 3-2 record, 41 strikeouts and 1.36 WHIP across his final eight starts.
"It’s fantastic, obviously, being able to finish strong," Megill said. "It’s been a hell of a year for me this year. It’s grinding up and down. Success and a lot of failure.
"Being able to come back, figure things out and make a strong finish, it gives me a lot of confidence and allows me to go into the offseason with a lot of positives and work on those and get it going for next year."
The Mets only have two starters that appear to have guaranteed spots in next season's rotation with Senga and Jose Quintana. But Megill and Peterson, who threw seven scoreless innings on Thursday, each left strong impressions after rocky starts.
"You take in everything and they’ve done things to leave a good taste in everybody’s mouth," Showalter said. "They’re ours, whether it’s here or Syracuse next year. The depth of our rotation is going to be in good shape next year. It’s just a matter of being able to take the next step."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Tylor Megill discusses new 'American spork' pitch
