There may not be an individual pitch that has garnered as much attention this year as Shohei Ohtani’s sweeper.
Of course, the sweeper is generally trendy, now that pitch classification systems have begun recognizing the breaking ball as its own distinct entity. But no one is using it quite like Ohtani. After making the sweeper his primary pitch for the first time last season—dethroning his four-seamer—he has leaned on it even more heavily this year. The sweeper now makes up 45% of Ohtani’s pitches. Yet it hasn’t lost any of its effectiveness. It features almost a foot and a half of horizontal break. The league batting average against it is a paltry .138. His sweeper bedevils hitters, awes broadcasters and regularly makes appearances in highlights.
And there’s one group paying extra close attention: Ohtani’s fellow Angels pitchers. Why? So they can throw it themselves.
