There is nothing about this video that I don’t love and it reallys shows that even the best of players can make mistakes. Yesterday Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly, was practicing his craft when uh oh, he throws one high and inside right into the window of his house. It couldn’t have been more perfect, from the release to the sound of the glass breaking, to Kelly letting out an, “oh….”
Kelly is any of us who have ever played catch or thrown a ball in our backyards. I’m sure at one point in every ball players life they’ve thrown a ball not even close to where they wanted to. For many of us that resulted in a broken window, and I can say I am 100% guilty of this. Probably shouldn’t have been throwing in front on the window in my backyard when I was a kid, not my smartest decision, but I fully remember the moment it happened. And we all have that same reaction, “Oh no,” as we looked to our parents like a lost puppy for help. For Kelly on the other hand, he had to answer to his wife. I’m sure she is wishing baseball will return soon before he breaks anything else.
In a video interview yesterday Kelly said that he was using a modified ball called a CleanFuego. The ball is weighted and cut in half, but it is made to mimic the same movement of certain pitches. The ball is a tool for players to polish pitches, learn better grips and releases. Pitchers are able work out subtle changes in their grips to ensure that they are throwing the perfect pitch. The ball will give you instant feedback when you throw it, if it wobbles through the air then you didn’t release the pitch right. Teaching spin direction is something that can be very difficult, but using the CleanFuego, you can not only visually see that it’s working, but feel the right grip and release for the perfect pitch.
No wonder Kelly was using an insanely large net while using this drill. When trying to learn new pitches you are bound to let some go. Throw in the fact that he was using a ball that is basically cut in half and using a changeup grip that is already tough to hold using a regular baseball and you have a good recipe for a broken window. Kelly explained in the interview that he was working on creating a gyro effect for his changeup. By using the CleanFuego ball he was able to get instant feedback on how to grip and release it, but for this particular change-up the glass shattering in the background was more than enough feedback for him. So what did Kelly do after? He picked up his ball, continued working on his pitch for 20 more minutes, then spent the next three hours cleaning up and trying to patch the window. How’s your quarantine going?
The Washed Up Athlete 