Tyler Glasnow was hammered by the Houston Astros in the first inning of his Game 5 ALDS start on Thursday night, and everyone’s suspicions have been confirmed: he was tipping pitches.
Immediately when the Astros opened up the game with four straight hits off the Tampa Bay Rays ace, there was speculation that Houston figured something out about its opponent. A video clip of Alex Bregman passing along words of advice to Carlos Correa in the first added to the speculation.
Either Glasnow is tipping his pitches or the Astros' first base coach can see the catcher's signs.
"If it's down, it's a curveball. If it's up, it's a fastball." -Alex Bregman#TakeItBack pic.twitter.com/twIcqPKaCt
— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) October 10, 2019
After the Astros won 6-1, ESPN shared a graphic on “SportsCenter” that showed what Glasnow was doing to tip his pitches. When he worked from the stretch, Glasnow held his hands/glove higher for fastballs and lower for curveballs.
ESPN showed how Tyler Glasnow was tipping his pitches from the stretch. Held hands higher on his fastball and lower on his curveball. Astros scored 4 runs in the first before Glasnow figured it out #Rays #RaysUp #Astros pic.twitter.com/GVlZUmIV6o
— Larry Brown (@LBSports) October 11, 2019
Glasnow says he watched video after the first inning and was able to spot the issue. He retired the next five batters he faced — all from a windup where his tell wouldn’t show — and was replaced in the third inning. It was already too late as Tampa Bay was dominated by Gerrit Cole and managed just two hits.
The Yankees-Astros series is going to be fantastic. And Glasnow needs to work on avoiding tipping.
