Mick Abel got hit hard in his Philadelphia Phillies’ 11-4 loss to the New York Mets on Saturday, and there is evidence suggesting he may have been tipping his pitches.
Abel allowed four runs on six hits over three innings in the loss. He surrendered four home runs in the game, including back-to-back-to-back homers to Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto in the third inning.
Rob Friedman, who goes by the persona “Pitching Ninja” on social media, posted evidence of what he thought was Abel tipping his pitches. Friedman pointed out that as he did his leg kick, Abel raised the position of his glove a few inches higher when throwing fastballs, compared to a few inches lower on breaking balls.
If the Mets were able to spot that difference, then they would know when a fastball was coming compared to a breaking ball, which is a big advantage. When you have some very strong hitters like Lindor, Nimmo and Soto, knowing what pitch is coming can be enough to result in a home run. The Mets even seemed to act like they were trying to hide something; Nimmo was seen in the dugout with his finger over his mouth like he was trying to keep quiet about something. Pitching Ninja may have discovered exactly what it was that the Mets knew.
Prior to Saturday, the last time the Mets had gone back-to-back-to-back was in 2022.
That was the worst outing of the rookie Abel’s career, though he did allow three home runs in four innings against the Cubs earlier this month.
