Angels bats come alive in pounding of Mariners 9-4
Fletcher’s hit streak reaches 26 games By GREG BEACHAM, Associated Press
Published: July 17, 2021, 11:10pm
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4 Photos Los Angeles Angels David Fletcher (22) doubles during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Saturday, July 17, 2021, in Anaheim, Calif. Taylor Ward, Juan Lagares, and Jack Mayfield scored. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Photo Gallery
ANAHEIM, Calif. David Fletcher is a soft-spoken middle infielder and a sixth-round draft choice who has sneaked up on stardom during four increasingly impressive seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
Fletcher is sitting on the second-longest hitting streak in Angels history after yet another monster offensive game. His talents are unlikely to surprise anyone again after this incredible five-week stretch, and that’s how his manager and teammates think it should be.
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May 24, 2021
We’ve still got a week to go in May, a month that has included four no-hitters, including two last week on back-to-back days the Tigers’ Spencer Turnbullagainst the Mariners on Tuesday, and then the Yankees’ Corey Kluberagainst the Rangers on Wednesday, plus two that were just two days apart earlier this month. That brings this year’s total to six no-hitters of the nine-inning variety, plus a seven-inning one by Madison Bumgarner that The Man doesn’t want you to count. Particularly because the major league batting average of .237 is in a virtual tie for the all-time low mark set in 1968, these remarkable achievements are threatening to lose some luster.
April 16, 2021
I would imagine that one of the most jarring pitches for a major league batter to face is an extremely slow breaking pitch. Conventional wisdom might suggest the opposite something like triple-digit heat. But at least a batter knows to expect high-end velocity when he steps to the plate against a given pitcher. A pitch under 70 mph, on the other hand, is rare enough that it can freeze you. Not familiar with the types of pitches I am talking about? Here are a select few.
Since 2015 (i.e., the Statcast era), just 0.3% of all pitches thrown in MLB have been under 70 mph; pitchers today generally live in velocity bands from 10 to 30 mph higher. Being able to slow the ball down to such an extreme degree without tipping off the batter to what is coming is not trivial, and being able to drop these pitches in for strikes takes practice. Taking time in a throwing session to lob lollipops into the strike zone probably seems foolish to many pitchers, especially if they can ju
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