Many fans were formally introduced to Dodgers top pitching prospect Dustin May when he filled in for Clayton Kershaw on Opening Night and promptly hit 100 mph.
Well, here¡¯s an update: May is still throwing pure filth.
The right-hander was pumping gas to begin his Tuesday night start against the Padres at Petco Park, an outing in which he allowed two runs with a career-high eight strikeouts over six innings to pick up his first win of the season in a 5-2 Dodgers victory. After getting two quick outs, May started his matchup against superstar Manny Machado with a 100 mph sinker. Three pitches later, he unleashed this:
The official velocity reading on this sorcery: 99.4 mph -- with an even 18 inches of horizontal break before the pitch hit catcher Austin Barnes¡¯ mitt. It wasn¡¯t in the strike zone, but it didn¡¯t have to be; Machado never had a chance once the bat left his shoulder.
We¡¯ve already seen May do that before, as he unleashed a 99.1 mph sinker with 18 inches of horizontal break against Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval in that Opening Night game. Last season, May¡¯s sinker averaged 16.8 inches of horizontal break with an average velocity of 96 mph. Entering Tuesday, his average horizontal movement this season was up to 18.2 inches on that pitch -- with a 97.4 mph average velocity.
That¡¯s a lot of numbers, but the visual really says it all. May¡¯s stuff is absolutely filthy.