Newcomb’s scoreless opener relied on contact outs

Ángel Martínez fouled off three consecutive four-seamers with a full count in the second inning against Sean Newcomb. The ninth pitch of the at-bat, another four-seamer at 96.5 mph, became a caught foul tip for strike three. That was Newcomb’s only recorded whiff in an outing whose other outs came through contact.

Newcomb completed his planned opener assignment with two scoreless innings, one hit, no walks and one strikeout on 22 pitches in White Sox–Guardians ALDS Game 3 on Wednesday, October 7. Chicago led 1–0 when Bryan Hudson replaced him. Cleveland’s eventual 9–3 win came after Newcomb had finished with no runners left on base.

The compact line was efficient, but it included three hard-hit balls that became outs. His ledger distinguishes a successful result from evidence that the Guardians consistently struggled to connect.

Two fastballs and a slurve

Newcomb used nine four-seamers, seven sinkers and six slurves, a breaking pitch carrying that classification in both official records. The four-seamer averaged 96.8 mph and the sinker 95.6, above his regular-season averages of 94.9 and 93.6. That season comparison covers 1,472 physical pitches in 60 appearances, including six starts.

The starter-only sample is smaller, 181 pitches, with four-seamers averaging 95.4 mph and sinkers 94.6. Game 3’s sinkers were also more frequent, seven of 22 pitches, 31.8%, compared with 28 of 181, 15.5%, in those starts. Six batters provide too little opportunity to establish a lasting change in selection.

Cleveland did not swing at any of the six slurves. Five were balls and one a called strike. Its 11 swings against the two fastballs produced the caught foul tip, five fouls and five balls in play. Whiff rate here includes foul tips under the source definition; it does not mean Martínez missed that final ball entirely.

Hard contact became outs

José Ramírez lined out at 107.9 mph in the first inning, and Chase DeLauter grounded out at 109.6 mph. Jo Adell’s 66.9-mph single opened the second, then Brandon Lowe’s 104.6-mph liner became a double play, with Miguel Vargas catching the ball and Adell doubled off first. The inning’s hit was softer than the contact that erased its runner.

Baseball Savant assigned Ramírez’s liner a .830 expected batting average and Lowe’s a .640 mark. Those per-ball estimates provide context for favorable outs; they do not reverse the actual plays or establish an aggregate expected result for Newcomb.

Martínez’s extended strikeout accounted for nine of the 12 pitches in the second inning. Newcomb recovered from 3–1 with a called sinker before the four straight full-count fastballs. He finished the assignment without a walk, while the contact outcomes helped keep the pitch count low. Whether a similar mix can do that when hard liners find space is the question a longer sample would need to answer.