Michael Kopech has an elite fastball; his success with the Dodgers is based on throwing it less

LOS ANGELES – When the tying run was on base in the eighth inning on a 38-degree Sunday afternoon, Dodgers relief pitcher Michael Kopech defended himself and chased an equally hot 101 mph fastball across the zone.

The pitch seemed impossible to hit and just as impossible for Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo to stop, but it delivered the strike three that Kopech needed. The right-hander lifted his leg, swung his body back toward the home team's dugout and casually walked off the mound.

This pitch — the very fastball—was the reason the Dodgers acquired Kopech from the White Sox at the trade deadline. More specifically, they did so with the idea of ​​turning one of the game's best fastballs into one of its most effective.

“The conversation is more about pitching than throwing,” Kopech said, “and I felt like I did that a lot this year.”

What Kopech did on Sunday was pitch. Just before throwing the strike-three heat, he threw a slider just off the outside corner. In the past, Kopech had thrown one fastball after another in all of his appearances. Any plan of attack had given way to brute and often ineffective power.

Like many of his former teammates on Chicago's South Side, Kopech did not have a great season. In 43 2/3 innings before his transfer, Kopech was 2-8 with a 4.74 ERA and a 1.351 WHIP.

While these numbers didn't make him the worst reliever in what could have been a disastrous bullpen of all time, he also didn't live up to the potential that comes with being a triple-digit heater.

The 28-year-old right-hander was sent to Los Angeles and has been untouchable ever since. He has pitched, not thrown, resulting in 21 strikeouts, four walks and just five hits allowed in 17 innings. He has an ERA of 0.53 and a WHIP of 0.551.

In a single season, Kopech will have played for possibly the worst MLB team in modern history, while also being a key building block and emerging fan favorite for a team that has the best chance to win the World Series.

He has his dominant Heater to thank for, as he throws it a little less often.

“If everyone focuses on the fastball,” Kopech said, “it doesn't matter what movement it has or how heavy it is, they'll get to it eventually.”

The movement to limit Kopech's use of fastballs actually began during his last few appearances in Chicago. And the day the Dodgers signed Kopech, GM Brandon Gomes made it clear they wanted to continue that process.

“It's one of the best fastballs in the game out of the bullpen,” he said. “And when you add some secondary hits, it just gets better.”

Because the Dodgers love Kopech's fastball so much, they want to see more of his off-speed offering. He still relies on the fastball more than three-quarters of the time. It's understandable why he's concerned about his off-speed pitches. His slider was very hittable last year — resulting in 10 home runs. Throwing those sliders, however, is a necessity.

In June, Kopech's use of four-seamers was 83 percent. That coincided with his worst month of the season, when he posted a 5.06 ERA. On July 7, Kopech threw 18 of his 20 pitches as fastballs, blowing one save and allowing four runs.

Since joining the Dodgers, Kopech has used his fastball a little less, only about 78 percent in August and September. As a result, his pitching effectiveness has improved.

After the trade, he threw 196 fastballs. Only five of those resulted in hits. Only six were put in play with an exit velocity of more than 100 miles per hour. The hard throws did not result in hard contact.

The reason Kopech's fastball is so good has a lot to do with his launch point. Because of the way he presses his upper body into the launch and the way his shoulders are angled, his launch point is relatively low at 5'8″, especially compared to his 6'3″ frame.

He gets great vertical movement out of this slot. In fact, NO The pitcher receives more induced vertical break (IVB) from his slot or below.

Kopech boasts a great combination of launch point, vertical movement and velocity, which puts him at the top of the list of best fastballs (at least 300 thrown). The ball comes out of a low launch, stays flat and explodes toward the batter. He has an excellent vertical approach angle, meaning only seven pitchers in baseball (at least 300) have a flatter fastball at the top of the zone. This makes it difficult to hit the pitch straight.

“The fastball is unique,” ​​said Connor McGuinness, Dodgers assistant pitching coach.

However, he acknowledged that more was needed.

“Batters in the big leagues are so good at chasing dead red balls these days,” he said. “If they know it's just a pitch, they can often touch it or at least get it forward.”

To find the right balance with the fastball, Kopech had to find the right breaking ball. It wasn't necessarily the slider he threw in Chicago. He switched to a cutter that's three miles per hour slower and has four inches less drop than the slider. That lack of movement is the crux of the matter.

“The cutter is a pitch that I can just tear up a little more like a fastball, I can stay through it easier,” Kopech said. “I can throw it more into the strike zone with less action than if I'm trying to turn over a slider. I can find a spot for both, but the cutter plays well for me in the zone.”

Since he came to Los Angeles, no hitter has been able to get a hit with his cutter anywhere in the strike zone or even in the “shadow area” right next to the strike zone. Those cutters have led to extra strikes and the play value to roll the fastball out of the zone, his bread and butter as a reliever.

It makes sense that Kopech is still adjusting his pitch mix; the increase in fastball usage that brought him to 80 percent is a recent development. Last season, he threw the pitch only 61 percent of the time, similar to the three years prior. That's because the White Sox used him in the rotation most of the time.

White Sox GM Chris Getz moved him to the bullpen because he was concerned about his lack of control and feared that Kopech would create overloaded relievers in the rotation. At the time, Kopech made it clear, “It's not my first choice of where I want to be.”

For Kopech, it may have been a stroke of luck. Playing in the bullpen — the Dodgers' bullpen, to be precise — has given him the best run of his career. Others think it may have something to do with the incentive to improve his game for a team that needs and expects a lot.

“When you come into the locker room, I can only talk about myself as an offensive player,” said veteran Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas. “I need to be in the same lineup as Shohei (Ohtani), Mookie (Betts), Freddie (Freeman), Teoscar (Hernandez), I need to raise my level of play.”

“I think the same thing happened to him. He came here knowing that he will take the ball with him when the chances are crucial.”

Every Dodger game Kopech plays in now is important. Not only because he has been put in an important role and often finishes games. But because Los Angeles is aiming for the division title and more after an offseason that cost billions.

In contrast, the White Sox are playing seemingly without pressure. They lost their 100th game in July, were eliminated from the postseason in August, and already have the MLB's worst record in 2024.

It may not make sense on paper, but for Kopech, playing against the White Sox was a lot more nerve-wracking. As the team's closer, he was protecting a rare and valuable lead, and losing it would make his team a laughing stock again.

“One bad thing can lead to another, and when you experience that over and over again, you can get into the mindset of, 'Here we go again.' I think that's what happened a little bit over there.

“I would go out there and put pressure on myself to be a savior or a hero pitching in the ninth inning with a tie or a one-run lead. I put more pressure on myself than you already have in a Major League Baseball game,” he said.

Kopech may not be the Dodgers' typical closer, but he likes it that way — if he's ready for the fifth and sixth innings and stays ready for the eighth and ninth, he can focus better.

But make no mistake – no matter where or when he throws, he's become the team's first choice. And when the postseason begins, his new club will expect him to put his dazzling fastball on full display.

Just not on every single pitch.

The athlete'S Fabian Ardaya contributed to this report.

(Top photo: Harry How / Getty Images)