‘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 on Sunday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Early in the game, Glasnow struggled a bit, leaving runners on base in every inning. However, the ‘strikeout machine’ got out of the jam with a powerful delivery that froze batters in their tracks. His fastball touched 98.4 miles per hour (158.3 km/h), and he finished his first start of the season with a final line of 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. MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, described his return by saying, “When Glassnow was a mainstay in the team’s starting rotation, he was the most dominant starter in the American League.”
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 favorite, going 17-9 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 we mentioned earlier, it’s all about being healthy. Glassnow has been plagued by injuries, big and small, and hasn’t been 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 is 38-16 on the season with a .704 winning percentage, good for first place in the majors. Despite being one of the most dominant teams this year, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. They’ve been plagued by 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. 메이저사이트
Given the state of the Tampa Bay mound, a healthy Glasnow would be a welcome addition. With him back in the fold, the mound could certainly get a lot thicker.
“It’s great to be back here (Tropicana Field),” Glassnow told MLB.com after the game. I haven’t felt it in a long time, so it’s kind of weird, but it felt good. It wasn’t perfect, but I’m definitely happy to get out there and make my first start.”