Dylan Cease shut down the Blue Jays offense, throwing 6 innings allowing only 1 hit and 2 walks. Cease also struck out 11 and collected 20 swings and misses.
Cease struck out the side in the first, struck out another two in the second, and struck out one while again facing the minimum in the third. Cease allowed his first two base runners of the game in the fourth both via the walk, but nothing came of it as one was thrown out trying to steal and then Cease got the inning ending groundout. Cease had another two strikeouts in the fifth, and allowed his only hit of the game in the sixth inning, that in the form of an infield single, he also struck out two more in the sixth.
Cease had all 11 of his strikeouts come on his slider, also 18 of the 20 whiffs came on his slider. Cease’s slider has the best total run value of any pitch in the league, at a -24 RV. His slider has the best BAA of any pitch in the league, at .124, minimum 150 plate appearances. Cease’s slider also has the best RV/100, SLGA, wOBAA, Whiff%, K%, Put Away%, xBAA, xSLGA, xwOBAA, and Hard Hit% of any pitch in the league, minimum 150 plate appearances. Dylan Cease’s slider has been far and away the best pitch in baseball so far in 2022.