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And as a result, he threw just one of his 28 splitters from behind in the count — when hitters are more likely to take the late-breaking, knuckleball-esque offering for a ball.

The fattest part of the barrel is actually closer to the handle, with the idea of redistributing more mass to an area where some hitters make more frequent contact.

Where he once tried to overpower opposing hitters with an upper-90s fastball, May focused on improving his command and maintaining consistent control of his arsenal.

“He was just kind of getting hitters and staying aggressive and trusting his stuff,” manager Dave Roberts said afterward.

To this end, some of the party's heaviest hitters stepped in to help.