USATSI_18861820 — © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Phillies Fireman Seranthony Domínguez Just Keeps Getting Better

One loss in Cincinnati aside, Seranthony Domínguez has been practically unhittable out of the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen.

Author:
Leo Morgenstern
Aug 18, 2022 1:00 PM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

Seranthony Domínguez wasn't at his best on Wednesday. In the bottom of the ninth in a scoreless ballgame, he gave up a walk and two hits, and the lowly Cincinnati Reds walked off the Philadelphia Phillies.

It was a disappointing loss to be sure, but it's hard to blame Domínguez all that much. In the vast majority of his appearances, he has been a godsend for the Phillies.

In 46 games, the right-hander has amassed 54 strikeouts with a 1.64 ERA. He ranks as one of the best relievers in the National League by most any metric. His resurgence in 2022 has helped Philadelphia's bullpen go from a weakness to a strength.

And somehow, as good as Domínguez has been all year long, he has been getting even better as the season progresses.

A Dominant Month for Domínguez

Until Wednesday afternoon, when he allowed a run to score on a ground ball that snuck through the infield, Domínguez had not allowed an opposing player to cross the plate since July 10.

In that time, the Phillies reliever made 11 consecutive scoreless appearances. He faced 38 batters and struck out 12. Opposing hitters slashed just .091/.210/.152 against him. Unsurprisingly, Philadelphia won 10 of those 11 games.

It's a pretty simple formula for success. When batters can't get hits, they can't score runs. When teams can't score runs, they can't win ballgames.

It's not completely foolproof. Even the very best closers blow a game from time to time. But when Domínguez is on the mound, the opposition usually doesn't have much of a shot.

A Sinker on the Rise

During his scoreless streak, Domínguez threw 78 fastballs. Opposing batters managed just one hit against his sinker and his fourseam in that time.

One reason for that was his velocity — it has been on the rise. In April, Domínguez was averaging 96 to 97 MPH with his fastballs. Now, he's averaging over 99 MPH, and he's starting to regularly touch 100 with his sinker.

This graph from Baseball Savant shows how his fastballs have gotten faster and faster throughout the year.

Seranthony Domínguez fastball velocity by month, through August 15.
via Baseball Savant

In his first four August appearances, Domínguez did not throw a single pitch at 100 MPH.

Then, on August 12 against the New York Mets, two of his six fastballs clocked in at 100. Two more came in at 99.9.

In his next appearance appearance, Monday night against the Reds, Domínguez threw six more fastballs. This time, four were over 100 MPH and another clocked in at 99.8. It looked like hitting 100 on the radar gun was going to become a regular occurrence for the Phillies' fireman.

Unfortunately, in his loss on Wednesday afternoon, he failed to hit that magic number. He was averaging just 98.9 MPH with his sinker and 97.6 MPH with his fourseam.

Hopefully, that appearance was only a blip on the radar and Domínguez will continue blowing past hitters with 100 MPH fastballs. The progress he has shown over the past month is tremendous, and one bad appearance does not negate all that.

The Sky is the Limit for Seranthony

Seranthony Domínguez has been practically unhittable this season for the Philadelphia Phillies.
© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

As impressive as it is, perhaps it shouldn't come as too much of a shock that Domínguez has steadily been improving all year.

After all, he is still just 27 years old, and he has pitched only one full big league season. He is on his way back from a multi-year stint on the injured list, too. As he gains MLB experience and moves further and further past his Tommy John surgery, it stands to reason that he is continuing to refine his craft. The sky is the limit for a player with this much talent and potential.

Losses will happen. Sometimes, a pitcher just doesn't have his best stuff. Sometimes, the opposing team finds a way to win even when he does. What really matters is that Domínguez is showing signs of growth as the year goes on.

He is starting to throw as hard as he did at the height of his powers in 2018. That's a big deal. With a 100 MPH sinker at his disposal, Domínguez can be the true shutdown reliever the Phillies bullpen has been missing for far too long.

All pitch tracking data courtesy of Baseball Savant.