9 signature pitches from Padres history

This browser does not support the video element.

SAN DIEGO -- It's impossible to tell the history of the San Diego Padres without the history of some of the nastiest pitches baseball has ever seen.

That¡¯s fair to expect from a franchise with four Cy Young Award winners and a tradition of elite relievers.

You probably already know the greatest pitchers in San Diego history. But what about the greatest individual pitches? Here are nine unhittable pitches that shaped the history of the Padres:

9. Peavy's slider
Right-hander Jake Peavy's fastball might have been more important. He used it more frequently and routinely blew it by opposing hitters, even though his velocity wasn't overwhelming. But when Peavy was on, it was almost always because his slider was untouchable. Peavy won strikeout titles in 2005 and '07 with his slider as his primary putaway weapon. His location of the pitch was pinpoint, and he was savvy in letting the pitch play off his fastball, keeping hitters off-balance. As his career progressed, Peavy expanded his offspeed arsenal. But when he needed a swing-and-a-miss, he knew exactly where to go:

This browser does not support the video element.

8. Perry's spitball
Right-hander Gaylord Perry won the second Cy Young Award of his Hall of Fame career while pitching for the Padres in 1978. He posted a 2.73 ERA and 21 wins, and -- depending on your perspective -- he did so either shrewdly or downright illegally. In the 1960s, Perry became notorious for his spitball. The sport cracked down on the doctoring of baseballs in the early '70s, but Perry persisted, using foreign substances to make his ball dart and dive in directions that made it nearly impossible to hit. Padres catcher Gene Tenace once told the New York Times: "I can remember a couple of occasions when I couldn't throw the ball back to him because it was so greasy that it slipped out of my hands. I just walked out to the mound."

This browser does not support the video element.

7. Lamet's slider
For years, Peavy held the distinction of having the best slider in Padres history. He may have been overtaken. Right-hander Dinelson Lamet's slider is perhaps the most electric in the sport, and he threw the pitch an absurd 53.4% of the time in 2020. The pitch features an awesome blend of high velocity and big-time movement. (Typically, great sliders feature one or other.) Opponents batted just .080 against Lamet sliders in '20. He doesn't quite have the pinpoint command of the pitch that Peavy did. But he doesn't need it. It's hard enough to hit, no matter where it ends up.

This browser does not support the video element.

6. Davis' curveball
Reliever Mark Davis rode his fastball/curveball mix to the 1989 National League Cy Young Award and consecutive All-Star appearances in his first stint with the Padres. From 1987-89, he posted a 2.24 ERA in San Diego. Davis' curveball had plenty of bend and was aesthetically pleasing from the left side. But it had bite, too -- thrown hard enough to make hitters who'd been waiting on a fastball look awfully silly.

5. Yates' splitter
Reliever Kirby Yates' career trajectory is nothing short of incredible. He was a 30-year-old journeyman with a 5.38 ERA when the Padres claimed him off waivers in April 2017. At the time, Yates had just begun experimenting with a split-finger fastball. When the right-hander landed in San Diego, the Padres had one message for him: Throw it. Often. Yates obliged, and the pitch elevated him to one of the most fearsome relievers in the sport. He paired it with a fastball at the top of the zone, and rival hitters complained that it was impossible to tell the difference -- until they¡¯d swung right over the splitter. Yates¡¯ mark of 14 strikeouts per nine innings is the best in franchise history.

This browser does not support the video element.

4. Brown's sinker
Right-hander Kevin Brown was a Padre for only one season, but he authored arguably the most valuable pitching season in franchise history. Brown posted a 2.38 ERA and a franchise-record 257 strikeouts. And he did so by relying heavily on a bowling-ball sinker that darted down and to his arm side and was nearly impossible to put in the air. (In 257 innings in 1998, Brown allowed just eight home runs.) While some sinkers are meant merely to induce soft contact, Brown¡¯s was the rare swing-and-miss variety. His sinker-balling masterpiece came in Game 1 of the 1998 National League Division Series, when he struck out a Division Series-record 16 Astros.

This browser does not support the video element.

3. Gossage's four-seam fastball
There wasn't much deception to Rich Gossage's arsenal. The Hall of Fame right-hander had plenty of firepower, and he brought it. At a time when fastball velocities sometimes hovered in the high 80s, ¡°Goose¡± felt like a pitcher a generation ahead of his time. He sat in the upper-90s and sometimes topped 100 mph at a time when it felt preposterous to do so. Gossage is without question, one of the sport's greatest power pitchers. There's an argument to be made that his signing in January 1984 is the most important free-agent signing in franchise history. Gossage used that four-seam fastball at the back of the bullpen as the Padres won their first pennant in '84.

This browser does not support the video element.

2. Jones' sinker
Without context, Randy Jones' numbers in 1975 and '76 are almost laughable. The left-hander compiled more than 600 innings across two seasons with a 2.50 ERA -- but he recorded only 196 strikeouts in the process. Jones was able to do so because of the pitch that came to define an era of Padres baseball: his sinker. The pitch tantalized opposing hitters, then darted below their barrels, as Jones became the king of weak contact. The pitch was easy to connect with but impossible to square up, and Jones used that to his advantage, amassing 43 complete games across two seasons. (For context, no pitcher has more than 24 complete games in the past decade.) On the strength of that sinker, Jones won an ERA title in '75 and the NL Cy Young Award in '76. He became one of the most beloved players in franchise history in the process.

This browser does not support the video element.

1. Hoffman's changeup
The first line of Trevor Hoffman's plaque in the National Baseball Hall of Fame: "Master of a mystifying changeup." Strangely enough, when the right-hander arrived in San Diego after a trade with Miami in 1993, he was all power. It wasn't until a 1994 shoulder injury that Hoffman was forced to develop a putaway offspeed weapon. Teammate Donnie Elliott, who has a special place in Padres history as a result, taught Hoffman in the pitch, and the rest is history. No one could touch it. Hoffman rode his changeup -- arguably the best in baseball history -- to 601 saves and enshrinement in Cooperstown.

This browser does not support the video element.

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com