{"id":671897,"date":"2026-04-09T20:33:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/671897\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T20:33:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:33:29","slug":"seattle-mariners-to-face-mlbs-viral-new-pitch-for-1st-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/671897\/","title":{"rendered":"Seattle Mariners to face MLB’s viral new pitch for 1st time"},"content":{"rendered":"

The early parts of an anticipated season have come with struggles at the plate for the Seattle Mariners.<\/p>\n

Bowden: Why Seattle Mariners shouldn\u2019t consider trading a SP<\/a><\/p>\n

Their upcoming four-game series against the Houston Astros\u2019 banged-up pitching staff could offer a reprieve, but the series opener also presents a unique challenge.<\/p>\n

The Mariners are set to see a pitch they never have before on Friday night when they face Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai and his viral \u201cwrong-way slider\u201d for the first time.<\/p>\n

What exactly is a \u201cwrong-way slider?\u201d Well, it\u2019s a unique pitch that does exactly as the name indicates: breaks in the opposite direction of a traditional slider. Imai is able to generate this movement by getting his pitching hand under the slider when he releases. You can get a look at one of the nastiest ones Imai has thrown in his first two MLB starts in the clip below.<\/p>\n

Tatsuya Imai’s Wrong Way Slider. \ud83e\udd2a<\/p>\n

13 inches arm side run. pic.twitter.com\/sFYc1Hm1tQ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Imai\u2019s slider is averaging nearly 6 inches of arm-side break, per Baseball Savant. The average MLB slider has 4 inches of glove-side break, so Imai\u2019s slider has a 10-inch difference in break in the opposite direction of a traditional slider. The movement is more in line with the horizontal break of a traditional changeup or split-finger \u2013 Imai throws both of those, too<\/a> \u2013 and could easily be mistaken for the basically extinct screwball.<\/p>\n

According to Baseball Savant, just 11 MLB pitchers are averaging arm-side break<\/a> on their sliders this season. Imai\u2019s has the most at more than three times greater than next-closest pitcher.<\/p>\n

Imai struggled in his first MLB outing, but he bounced back against the Athletics on Sunday with nine strikeouts over 5 2\/3 scoreless innings.<\/p>\n

A\u2019s veteran Jeff McNeil, who struck out on one of Imai\u2019s sliders, spoke about what it was like seeing the pitch for the first time postgame.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was kind of doing everything,\u201d McNeil said via MLB.com\u2019s David Adler<\/a>. \u201cSome went left. Some went right. It was pretty interesting to see. You don\u2019t see a lot of pitches like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mariners should see quite a bit of Imai\u2019s unique slider Friday. He\u2019s thrown it 41.7% of the time, second to only his 46.4% usage of his four-seam fastball. The pitch has generated a 44.4% whiff rate and batters are hitting .222 (4 for 18) with eight strikeouts against it.<\/p>\n

A former NPB star in Japan, Imai signed a three-year, $54 million deal with Houston during the offseason.<\/p>\n

Mariners-Astros pitching probables<\/p>\n

\u2022 Friday: Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock (1-1 record, 0.71 ERA) vs. right-hander Tatsuya Imai (1-0, 4.32)
\u2022 Saturday: Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo (0-0, 2.79) vs Astros right-hander Lance McCullers (1-0, 3.27)
\u2022 Sunday: Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert (0-2, 5.40) vs TBD
\u2022 Monday: Mariners right-hander George Kirby (1-2, 3.60) vs TBD<\/p>\n

Follow @ZacHereth<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n<\/a><\/p>\n