Austin Slater, an outfielder for the New York Yankees, took the mound as a relief pitcher during Wednesday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers. With the Yankees trailing by 10 runs in what ended as an 11-1 loss, Slater was called upon to pitch the ninth inning after Luke Weaver.
Slater managed to retire two batters and allowed one single by Dillon Dingler. Notably, he threw two pitches to Javier Báez that were clocked at 36.4 mph each. According to Statcast data tracked since 2015, these are the slowest pitches ever recorded by a Yankee.
The first of those slow offerings resulted in a called strike, while the second was a ball. Báez then grounded out on the next pitch, ending the top half of the inning with José Caballero fielding and making a forceout at second base.
This appearance marked Slater’s second time pitching in a Major League Baseball game; his first came on August 29, 2021, when he pitched for the San Francisco Giants against Atlanta.
After pitching, Slater led off in the bottom of the ninth with a single that left his bat at 104.4 mph exit velocity. Despite his success at bat and on the mound this season for New York, Slater is known more for soft-tossing than power pitching and currently holds an ERA of 0.00.
