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Ryan Walker needed a job.

When the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the Minor League Baseball season in 2020, the pitcher suddenly found himself with a lot of time on his hands. The new career he ¡°just happened to fall into¡±?

Locksmithing, of course.

Without any previous experience in that field, Walker became a locksmith until baseball resumed. (He¡¯s still practicing: Walker said he recently rekeyed his own house and saved $500 in the process.)

¡°It was fun,¡± the right-hander told MLB.com. ¡°It was a lot of hands-on stuff, so it was fun to learn something like that. It¡¯s a valuable skill to know.¡±

Still, there¡¯s not a whole lot that locksmithing and baseball have in common. Well, maybe one thing.

¡°In locksmithing, you can do the same thing over and over again but run into a different problem each time,¡± Walker said. ¡°I guess you could take that in baseball, too. You have to adapt and adjust to hitters and what you have that day and everything like that.¡±

Now in his second year as a crucial part of the Giants¡¯ bullpen, Walker has done that remarkably well.

A 31st-round Draft pick in 2018 (a Draft round that no longer exists) who went from making keys to getting key outs, the 28-year-old was thrust into a high-leverage role soon after his debut in May 2023 and has never relinquished it.

Walker posted a 3.23 ERA in 61 1/3 innings as a rookie and has followed it up with a 2.81 mark in 16 innings in 2024. The native of Arlington, Wash., said he¡¯s happy to reward the Giants¡¯ faith in him.

¡°It means they obviously trust what I have and trust my stuff and trust that I can get anybody out in big situations,¡± Walker said. ¡°And that¡¯s what we want, especially as relievers. You want to work your way into those higher-leverage situations where you get those guys on base and you leave them on. It feels good to be trusted enough.¡±

Walker relies on just two primary pitches: a sinker in the mid-90s and a low-80s slider. The latter has 8.1 inches of horizontal break above average -- the seventh most in the Majors.

After visiting a personal trainer in the 2021-22 offseason and perfecting his mechanics, the righty added 5 mph on his sinker. It made a big difference -- but there were certainly adjustments Walker had to make.

¡°I randomly started throwing 97, whereas the year before I topped out at 92, so I¡¯m like, ¡®Oh, I¡¯m a fastball guy now,¡¯ which didn¡¯t work out for me,¡± Walker said. ¡°Then you have to learn how to pitch with the velo. Once I found that out, then I could start doing my thing again, if that makes sense.¡±

Especially coming from a pitcher with Walker¡¯s unique delivery and release point, that velocity can be deadly to hitters.

Walker employs a crossfire delivery, turning almost toward third base and delivering the ball out wide -- giving him one of the most extreme horizontal release points in MLB.

Walker said his delivery gradually became more and more crossfire-style until he perfected it in 2021, aiming to offer hitters a look other pitchers don¡¯t usually offer.

¡°You can hopefully get away with some things a little bit more,¡± Walker said. ¡°If you accidentally leave a heater down the zone or whatever like that, the deception can make up for it a little bit.¡±

The right-hander has actually been better against left-handed hitters (.655 OPS) than fellow righties (.747 OPS) in his career. Take it from D-backs outfielder Pavin Smith, a lefty who has faced Walker: It isn¡¯t easy.

¡°I just think it¡¯s something you don¡¯t see very often, so it¡¯s definitely tough to pick up, and you¡¯ve got to kind of find that arm slot,¡± Smith said. ¡°The slider and heater will come out of the same spot, and one goes one way, and one goes the other.¡±

Smith said he couldn¡¯t recall how he¡¯d fared against Walker in June 2023 -- just that the result was ¡°disappointing.¡± (Smith chopped a 96 mph fastball out to second base.)

¡°Oh, I put it in play?¡± Smith said when informed of the outcome. ¡°Nice.¡±

That¡¯s how it goes for Walker, who frequently hears from teammates and opposing hitters about his delivery and hard-to-hit stuff.

¡°Good to hear that I¡¯m not a fun at-bat,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s what you want to hear from everybody.¡±