windup

With a windup in which he would look skyward almost as if he sought guidance from a higher power, he won his first eight starts — five by shutout — shocking longtime baseball observers.

He joked about how he’d probably fall down if he attempted his look-to-the-heavens windup when throwing out the ceremonial first pitch opening day.

A new “pitch clock” limits the time the pitcher has to deliver the ball: no more than 15 seconds to start their windup or 20 with runners on base.

The Dodgers are working with pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whose grip on the ball was visible when he was pitching out of a windup in his first spring start.

Yamamoto’s grip could be seen in the feed from the center-field camera when he was pitching out of a windup, which he starts by holding his pitching hand in his glove at about neck height.