In a homer-happy age of launch angle emphasis and upper-cut swings, hitters are figuring out how to go down and lift low fastballs. In response, pitchers are shying away from the sinker, and toward more breaking pitches and elevated fastballs.
Left-hander Aaron Bummer is digging in against this movement. His best pitch is his sinker, and he says he’s going to live or die with it.
“Sinker is my bread and butter, no doubt,” Bummer, 25, said. “I want to get ahead with it, I want to get even with it and I want to put people away with it.”
In what has been a disappointing year for the development of young Sox relievers, Bummer is the exception – in a big way – somewhat quietly emerging as one of baseball’s emerging lefty relievers with a 1.37 ERA and .133 average against with 20 strikeouts and five walks in 19 2/3 innings. He followed his worst outing the year by coming through in his first save situation Thursday in the Sox’ 5-4 win over the Yankees at Guaranteed Rate Field.
A 19th-round Sox draft choice in 2014, Bummer made the Opening Day roster last season, only to spend June, July and August at Class AAA Charlotte because “I was getting crushed by right-handed hitters.”
As good as that sinker was, he realized it wasn’t quite enough, and a conversation with righty Rob Scahill got him thinking seriously about adding a cutter. He began toying with it while playing catch and a huge addition to his arsenal was born.
“I knew I needed that pitch if I wanted to be the pitcher I wanted to be,” said Bummer, who now uses it about 25-30 percent of the time to complement the sinker. “Adding the cutter has really helped me as a breaking ball I can throw for strikes and get in on right-handed hitters.”
With Alex Colome unavailable Thursday, the bullpen phone rang for Bummer in the ninth.
He retired Brett Gardner on a ground ball with a cutter, allowed a single to Clint Frazier, struck out Gio Urshela swinging with a sinker and finished the game catching DJ LeMahieu looking at a sinker for strike three.
He was asked by assembled media after the game if he has arrived.
“Honestly that’s more so for you guys to decide,” he said. “I know I trust my abilities. I trust the work I put in. I trust the stuff I’m going out here and throwing. To me it doesn’t matter if it’s first three outs, second three outs or last three outs.”
Bummer should trust his stuff. He is one of those lefties who can’t throw anything straight, even while playing catch. It can be a curse, too, but when harnessed, it’s a big plus – a sinker dancing around the knees can’t be all bad.
Even against upper-cutting home-run hitters.
“If you look at Trackman or the analytics, the sinker and two-seam [fastball] are not necessarily the best outcomes for a pitch,” he said. “Baseball is heading to riding four-seams to get above barrels and get swings and misses. But if you execute your pitch, no matter what it is, you’re going to get hitters out.”
