Snell nearly untouchable in Wild Card opener
Snell #Snell
ST. PETERSBURG — As he was coming up through the organization, Blake Snell always knew that he wanted to be the type of pitcher the Rays called on when it mattered most. Because of injuries, Snell wasn’t able to get the Game 1 start against the Astros in last year’s
ST. PETERSBURG — As he was coming up through the organization, Blake Snell always knew that he wanted to be the type of pitcher the Rays called on when it mattered most.
Because of injuries, Snell wasn’t able to get the Game 1 start against the Astros in last year’s American League Division Series and was limited with his innings. But in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Blue Jays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, Snell got the chance to be “the guy” for the first time in his postseason career — and he made the wait well worth it.
Game Date Time Matchup TV Gm 1 Sept. 29 5 p.m. TOR @ TB TBS/SN Gm 2 Sept. 30 4 p.m. TOR @ TB TBS/SN Gm 3* Oct. 1 TBD TOR @ TB ESPN/TBS/SN
Snell struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings on Tuesday and didn’t allow his first hit until Alejandro Kirk led off the sixth inning with a single to right field. Snell became the first pitcher in Rays postseason history to have a no-hitter through five innings. His nine strikeouts also tied a Tampa Bay playoff record.
The Rays’ left-hander had all four of his pitches working, making him nearly untouchable. Snell threw 36 fastballs and averaged 95.3 mph on the pitch, which is slightly harder than his 95 mph average during the regular season.
Snell used the fastball to get ahead in the count, then utilized a potent changeup, curveball and slider combination. Snell threw his curveball 27 times on Tuesday, recording eight swings and misses and five called strikes. The slider and changeup were also a big part of Snell’s repertoire. The left-hander threw the slider to left-hander Cavan Biggio and the other eight right-handed bats in the Toronto lineup. The changeup was primarily used against the righties.
Juan Toribio covers the Rays for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @juanctoribio.