Stripling unveils new ‘Deathball' pitch added to his arsenal
Stripling unveils new ‘Deathball' pitch added to his arsenal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
If you're searching for a reason to get excited about the upcoming MLB season, look no further than Giants right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling's "Deathball."
Yes, you read that right. Deathball. In a video shared by Ari Alexander on X, formerly known as Twitter, Stripling gave a behind-the-scenes look at the latest pitch to grace his arsenal during an exclusive interview while working out in Houston.
#Giants RHP Ross Stripling is working on a new pitch for 2024 - The Deathball - a type of gyro slider meant to drop late.
Looked absolutely filthy live today as he worked out north of Houston.
Stripling tells me he’s looking for more swing & miss. pic.twitter.com/spsKEkWsfN— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) January 27, 2024
"I'm throwing the 'Deathball,' " Stripling told Alexander. "Which is essentially an inefficient spinning slider that, from my arm, angle really high; if you can cut the efficiency of the spin, it basically can't move horizontally, so the only way it can go is down. So it's just kind of like a funky, downward, harder slider that guys from high arm angles are trying to figure out."
Stripling revealed that while his pitch-to-contact style has been effective, the Giants pitcher's motivation for workshopping the new addition to his pitch repertoire stems from his desire to induce more strikeouts moving forward.
"Even though I feel like I have a good arsenal and I get a lot of soft contact, I just don't miss a lot of bats," Stripling explained. "So this is a pitch that [Tyler Glasnow], [Justin Verlander], Luke Jackson and Nick Anderson, some guys [are] throwing, they get a lot of swing-and-miss. Like some of them over 50 percent, so even if I can get a fraction of that, it would be a huge addition to my game to be able to put people away."
Stripling opted in for the second year of a two-year deal he signed with the Giants before the 2023 season after posting a 0-5 record with a 5.36 ERA in 11 starts and 22 total appearances during his first campaign in San Francisco.
After recording 70 strikeouts in 89 innings of work, Stripling hopes that the "Deathball" will help him elevate his game even further as he prepares for his ninth season in the big leagues.
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