Padres' Robbie Ray Once FaceTimed Dodgers Pitcher in the Middle of a Game

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Robbie Ray has proven his value in the four games he's started since his trade deadline acquisition.

After traveling a few hundred miles south from the San Francisco Giants to join the Padres, Ray has made four starts with a 1-1 record and a 3.98 ERA. For a team that was in need of a reliable starter given their injuries at the position, Ray offers the consistency needed of a team with postseason ambitions.

Part of Ray's success has been the use of a wide range of pitches, as the 34-year-old has a four-seam fastball, slider, changeup, sinker and curveball in his arsenal.

He grunts. He wears tight pants. He went from a 6.62 ERA to a Cy Young. He once FaceTimed Blake Treinen in the middle of a game.

Meet Robbie Ray, one of the #Padres’ newest pitchers:https://t.co/rhgwrwgnjs
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) August 28, 2026

His sinker, which has accounted for 13% of his pitches in 2026 according to Baseball Savant, wasn't always a part of his available pitches. In fact, as Ray told the San Diego Union-Tribune, the pitch's origins stem from a FaceTime call he had with Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen — in the middle of one of Ray's starts.

"I FaceTimed him in the middle of a game [that I was starting]," Ray said. "And he was like, 'Hey, aren't you in the middle of a game right now?'

"And I was like, 'Yeah, I need you to hurry up. Show me what your sinker grip is."

Treinen, who didn't have a baseball handy, used a balled-up sock to show Ray, who said he had been struggling in that game, how it was done.

"It was good," Ray said. "It actually worked."

And for my video friends, here's the full interview with Robbie Ray, where he talks about his career, five trades, advice from Randy Johnson, a FaceTime during a game, family and much more:https://t.co/y2lIsaJfnj
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) August 28, 2026

Ray and Treinen's FaceTime call occurred in 2022, when Ray was pitching with the Seattle Mariners. In 2024, Ray reached out to another pitcher while he was in San Francisco, connecting with then-Detroit Tigers starter (and now-Dodger) Tarik Skubal for help with his changeup.

"I think most guys are very open to helping as long as you ask them," Ray said. "That’s the biggest thing, is putting your ego aside and saying, 'Hey, you throw this pitch a lot better than I do, and I want to learn it.' And as Major League Baseball players, we do have an ego. You kind of have to have a little bit of an ego to be here. But it’s like, “OK, this guy’s doing something that’s pretty special, and if he’s willing to — which most guys are — I’m going to reach out to him and see if he’ll share anything.”

Ray's acquisition, as well as the Padres' trade for Casey Mize, were surefire signs that the Padres were going for broke in a season that saw many ups and downs for the organization. Since, their aggressive decision has proven to be a good one, as the Padres are 16-9 since the trade deadline.

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