{"id":1579097,"date":"2024-03-21T12:06:05","date_gmt":"2024-03-21T16:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1579097"},"modified":"2024-03-21T12:10:59","modified_gmt":"2024-03-21T16:10:59","slug":"craig-kimbrel-baltimore-orioles-changeup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/craig-kimbrel-baltimore-orioles-changeup\/","title":{"rendered":"15-Year MLB Veteran Craig Kimbrel Leaves Hitter Dumbfounded By Throwing New Pitch For First Time Ever"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Craig Kimbrel<\/strong> has pitched in the MLB<\/strong> for 15 years. He had never<\/em> thrown a single changeup prior to Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It left the hitter completely dumbfounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nine-time All-Star led the National League in saves from 2011-2014 and was named Major League Baseball's Reliever of the Year in 2014 and 2017. His dominance cannot be understated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Kimbrel saw a pretty significant dip in production over the last few years. He was inconsistent and often inaccurate. The Phillies<\/a> lost Games 3 and 4 of the 2023 NLCS because of the struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baltimore chose to sign Kimbrel despite the command issues and locked him down on a one-year, $13 million deal during the offseason. His role as the closer is his to lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an effort to help hitters guessing, Kimbrel apparently added a new pitch to his repertoire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 35-year-old righty threw a changeup for the first time in his career<\/em> at Spring Training against Philadelphia. And it was filthy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Craig Kimbrel...Dirty Changeup. pic.twitter.com\/TPmYMWUjO1<\/a><\/p>— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 20, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>