This Behind-the-Plate View of Tyler Rogers’s 73-MPH Rising Slider Is Just Silly

How is this even possible?

The 2023 Major League Baseball season is almost upon us, which means we’re just a few days away from watching lots of different pitchers throwing lots of different types of nasty pitches. 

One of those pitchers is Giants right-hander Tyler Rogers. The 32-year-old showed off a pitch Monday night against the A's that wasn’t close to being a strike but was a pitch that seemingly defied physics and is something that we’re not used to seeing at any level of baseball. 

Rogers threw a 73-MPH slider that rose through the air and over his catcher’s glove. 

Why is this impressive? First check out the pitch and then allow the great Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja on Twitter) to explain:

Tyler Rogers' Four Seam fastball drops 14 inches MORE than his Slider does on the way to home plate (which is the opposite of what you'd usually see as a catcher, due to arm angle/spin).

For example, Max Scherzer's slider drops about 20 inches more than his fastball.

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 28, 2023

Here's more on why that pitch is nasty: 

Right. But it's exacerbated by the fact that Tyler's slider "rises" compared to his fastball (so a catcher is gonna have a harder time with that if you're used to catching a normal breaking ball that drops more than a fb).

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 28, 2023

It's moments like this that make me glad I’ll never have to try to get a hit off a MLB pitcher. 

Because good luck with that!