When Atlanta Braves rookie John Gant made his major league debut against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night, he got to show the world his rather unusual windup.
Every pitcher's windup is different, as there's no set way that it must be done. As long as it works for the pitcher and is within the rules, that's all that matters.
Most pitchers just use different variations of a smooth windup. Gant, on the other hand, doesn't fire the ball toward home plate until he goes through a series of hitches. It almost appears as though the right-hander "messes up" his delivery, but that's just a part of his motion.
For a hitter who has never faced Gant or seen him on video, being in the box against him for the first time will be tough. A hitter's timing can easily be thrown off by the unusual windup.
Why does Gant pitch this way? MLB.com's Mark Bowman discussed the matter with the 23-year-old pitcher during spring training: "It just happened one day and never stopped. I don't know if I did it in a bullpen or a game or what. It just felt comfortable and I kept doing it."
The Braves reliever obviously can't go through all of his movements when he pitches from the stretch, but when nobody is on base, hitters will have to stay focused throughout the delivery.
Gant threw a scoreless inning against the Nationals in his debut, striking out one batter while allowing a single hit.
[MLB.com]
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