fastball

What followed was a series of mechanical tweaks that got Sasaki’s fastball back around 100 and his trademark splitter to more closely mirror his four-seamer when it left his hand.

On Tuesday, his fastball was elite once again, topping out at 101.2 mph and accounting for five of his eight strikeouts.

When he returned to the mound to begin the fifth, he struck out Rafael Devers with a knee-high fastball for a called third strike.

Or that his diminished fastball has failed to average even 90 mph.

He is 10-2 in 20 starts with a 3.53 ERA, succeeding despite diminished fastball velocity and a decline in overall stuff.