It’s officially time to say goodbye to one of the quirkiest windups in Major League Baseball.
Houston Astros pitcher Luis Garcia became a viral sensation thanks to a windup that made it look like he was rocking a baby before delivering a pitch, although it raised questions about whether it was a balk or not.
But with a crackdown on balk rules coming in 2023, it was time for him to retire the motion. And we got to see what it looked like earlier this week in spring training. Here’s a side-by-side from Pitching Ninja that shows you how his old motion is long gone (boo!):
Luis Garcia, New Windup vs. Old Windup. pic.twitter.com/JLYD1U6ZyG
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 28, 2023
No more of this, which stinks!
Makes sense, though. You don’t want to balk on every pitch!
