heater

“That’s the number one culprit. I think they’re just bullying him with the heater.”

“That with 3-2 and the bases loaded, I have to throw a curveball now instead of a heater,” Buehler said.

But after Ohtani dug back in, Cease challenged him with an elevated heater, similar to the one that induced a flyout in Ohtani’s first at-bat.

Alex Vesia’s fastball velocity wavered at times — he averaged 93.4 mph with his heater, down from his 94.4-mph average in 2023 — but the left-hander went 5-4 with a 1.76 ERA and five saves in 67 games, striking out 87 and walking 33 in 66 ⅓ innings and holding hitters to a .148 average and .551 OPS.

But the 37-year-old right-hander can still run his fastball up to 95 mph, and he combined his heater with an 85-mph slider to allow only five earned runs and 12 hits in 16 ⅓ innings of his last 17 games for a 2.76 ERA.