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He can generate plenty of swing-and-miss with a lively fastball that sits in the 98-mph range and has touched 102 mph, and he complements his heater with a sharp-breaking split-fingered fastball that he throws between 88-93 mph, an 87-91-mph slider and an occasional 78-81-mph slow curve.

Brito suggested he learn a split-fingered fastball, but no one in the Dodgers system threw one.

They scored three more in the fifth for a 6-5 lead when Max Muncy blooped a double to left, Miguel Rojas hit an RBI single to left, and Ohtani poked a 92-mph split-fingered fastball on the outer half from Rays right-hander Taj Bradley into the first row near the right-field foul pole for the shortest homer of his seven-year career.

Teoscar Hernández walked to open the ninth and took second on a balk, but Rangers closer Kirby Yates struck out the next three batters for his 10th save, winning a 10-pitch battle against Jason Heyward, who struck out on an 86-mph split-fingered fastball before pinch-hitter Will Smith whiffed on an 87-mph splitter to end the game.

The velocity of Yamamoto’s secondary pitches were also down, his curveball by 2.4 mph and his split-fingered fastball by 2.9 mph.