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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher River Ryan revealed he is adding a new pitch to his collection ahead of the 2026 season.
Ryan, 27, made his debut for LA in 2024, but has missed the end of that season and the entirety of 2025 after he underwent Tommy John surgery. He made four starts for the Dodgers, posting a 1.33 ERA through 20.1 innings while striking out 18 batters.
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The right-hander sports a six-pitch arsenal consisting of a four-seam fastball, a slider, a curveball, a sinker, a changeup and a cutter.
“I’m not going to reveal the pitch,” Ryan told Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain. “I want to kind of surprise people next year. The way I figured out how to throw it, I was just kind of in the middle of an outing and uh, I was looking at some film and some Trackman on what my pitch shapes were and I was… I was kind of surprised on one of them and I was like, I didn’t know I could make the ball do that.
“So unfortunately after I kind of figured it out, I got hurt and then I had to stop throwing. So I had to pick it back up when I was able to start spinning the ball again in rehab. Um, and I kind of just figured out what I did to make the ball do that and um, yeah, we just kind of honed it in from there. It’s still… it’s still in the works. I mean, it’s… I don’t think it’s going to be a highly used pitch, but it’s definitely another strikeout option if needed. So.”
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While he didn’t say what the pitch would be, Ryan jokingly said what it would not be.
“Definitely not a knuckleball,” Ryan said. “That’s one thing I cannot do is throw a knuckleball. It’s bad.”
Ryan may not make his season return to the Dodgers in the rotation, but will be a welcome addition to the roster regardless of where they play him. The Dodgers will hope the right-hander can pick up where he left off in 2024, and continue to provide them with solid outings throughout the season.
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Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
