A unique breaking pitch has helped Dany Jimenez become a reliable late-inning bullpen option for the Athletics.
OAKLAND — A smile split the face of Athletics relief pitcher Dany Jimenez even before the interpreter relayed the question.“It’s a curveball,” Jimenez said Tuesday before the Athletics faced the Minnesota Twins at the Coliseum. “And it breaks down.”
Called a “man of few words” by manager Mark Kotsay, Jimenez has displayed a serene presence that’s enabled him to thrive in late innings with traffic on the bases. Batters are hitting .214 with runners in scoring position and just .185 with runners on base. Jimenez can run his fastball into the mid-90s, which is pretty much standard practice in the majors these days. What sets him apart is a breaking pitch that takes a late downward dive with little lateral movement. It’s not the big-breaking curve, nor is it the conventional corner-biting slider.
But it really doesn’t matter much what the pitch is called. As long as Jimenez is throwing it over the plate, it’s usually going to be a tough at-bat for the hitter. Signed by Toronto in 2015, Jimenez toiled in the minors with Toronto until the Giants signed him unprotected off the Blue Jays’ roster. In just two games with San Francisco, Jimenez walked three batters, before being returned to Toronto. The A’s claimed him off waivers in December of 2020 but also returned him the following March.
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