Okajima develops a new pitch

Okajima has developed a two seam fastball to compliment his splitter, but he won’t know if it’s good enough to use “until he gets in games and he’s able to throw that against hitters.”

The pitch should be a nice addition to what is already an impressive arsenal for a relief pitcher. His repertoire will now include the two seamer, four seamer, curve, slider, changeup, and splitter. It will be interesting to see how he incorporates his new pitch into his strategy.

Okajima has made other adjustments to pitching in the Major Leagues. After breaking down in September of 2007, he plans to throw less pitches between outings, hoping that he can “peak at the end of the season.”

Hopefully Matsuzaka will take a similar approach.