‘Up to 158km’ Quang TB ace is back…can he give wings to ML’s No.1 overall team?
The Tampa Bay Rays’ long-awaited ace, Tyler Glasnow, 30, made his first start of the season healthy.
The right-hander took the mound against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on 28 April.
Early in the game, Glasnow struggled a bit, leaving runners on base in every inning. However, the ‘strikeout machine’ bounced back with a powerful delivery that froze batters in their tracks. His fastball touched 98.4 miles per hour (158.3 km/h), and his final line was 4 1/3 innings, five hits (one home run), one walk, eight strikeouts, and three earned runs.
Glasnow is Tampa Bay’s ace. When he’s healthy, his stuff is among the league’s most elite. “When he was a mainstay in the team’s starting rotation, he was the most dominant starter in the American League,” MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, wrote in describing his return.메이저놀이터
His pitching style is one of the best in the league. He uses a powerful four-seam fastball that sits close to 100 mph, along with a mix of curveballs, sliders, and other pitches to dominate hitters. After being traded to Tampa Bay from his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates in the middle of the 2018 season, Glassnow has developed into a team favourite, posting a 17-9 record with a 3.05 ERA and 364 strikeouts in 268 1/3 innings over 50 games.
He has one of the best pitches in the league, but as mentioned earlier, he needs to be healthy. Glassnow has been plagued by injuries, big and small, that have kept him from being at his best. His 14 appearances in 2021 after joining Tampa Bay are the most he’s made in a single season.
He was sidelined midway through the 2021 season with Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament reconstruction) and returned at the end of last year to play two regular season games and one postseason game. Much was expected of him, but he was sidelined with a sore oblique muscle before the start of this season.
Currently, Tampa Bay has the best overall record in the majors with a 38-16 record and a .704 winning percentage. Despite being one of the most dominant teams this year, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. They’re struggling with injuries on the mound.
Starting pitchers like ace Jeffrey Springs (31) and Shane Baz (24), and bullpen arms like Andrew Kittredge (33), Shawn Armstrong (33), Pete Fairbanks (30), and Garrett Clevinger (29) are on the 60-day disabled list (IL) and are expected to be out for extended periods of time.
Given the state of the Tampa Bay bullpen, a healthy Glasnow would be a welcome return. With him back in the fold, the bullpen could definitely use some extra depth.
As Glasnow told MLB.com after the game, “It’s great to be back here (Tropicana Field). I haven’t felt it in a long time, so it’s weird, but it felt good. It wasn’t perfect, but I’m definitely happy to get out there and make my first start.”