SATURDAy, MARCH 7 , 2020. THE WASHINGTON POST eZ m2 D3
the change-up is coming has no
difference from when his fastball
is on the way. The angle, or “slot,”
of his arm is the same. The speed
of his arm is the same. The only
difference, from the hitter’s
perspective: His fastball last year
averaged 94.3 mph. The change-
up comes in at 88.1, according to
data compiled by fanGraphs.
That’s not what menhart
describes as the “classic 10-mph
separation,” but when you have
four-tenths of a second to make a
decision on whether to swing, it’s
more than enough.
“It’s the sell that makes it
effective,” menhart said. “I use
the analogy, in poker, if you ever
watch those Te xas hold ’em
tournaments, guys have tells,
whether they’re bluffing or not.
He doesn’t have a tell when he
throws this pitch.”
Which is exactly how
Strasburg wants it and how he
must think of it. When he throws
his change-up — which he did
just more than once every five
pitches last year, the highest rate
of his career — he grips the ball
differently. It’s not a classic
“circle change,” in which a
pitcher essentially makes an
“okay” sign with his thumb and
index finger and then allows the
ball to roll off his other three
fingers. rather, Strasburg holds
his index finger away from the
ball and grips it with his thumb
underneath and his middle and
ring fingers on top.
“It’s like I got my index finger
cut off,” he said, “and I’m
throwing a two-seam fastball
with these other fingers.”
Some pitchers talk about the
change-up as a “feel” pitch, and
they spend time and effort
manipulating the ball with their
fingers. Strasburg actually
approaches his change-up withlatest a seven-year, $245 million
deal that probably will keep him
here for the entirety of his career.
He has the reputation of being a
complete pitcher.
Part of being complete is
knowing how and when to
deploy a change-up that plays
perfectly off his two-seam
fastball. When Strasburg was at
San Diego State, he barely had to
use the pitch because his fastball
and curveball easily
overwhelmed college hitters. But
his first big league spring
training camp was in 2010, and
his catcher when he arrived was
Iván “Pudge” rodríguez, who’s
now in the Hall of fame.
“I remember Pudge catching
me the first couple of bullpens,
and he was just raving about it,”
Strasburg said of the change-up.
“A nd I was like, ‘That’s cool.’ I felt
good about throwing it even
though I hadn’t used it a ton. And
then once I got to the big leagues,
he was calling it a lot, and I was
like, ‘I’ll throw whatever he calls
and just go with it.’ ”
The result is a wonder to
watch, not only because of the
action of the pitch but because of
the embarrassing swings it
induces. Hitting a baseball can be
about guessing. Eliminate the
guessing — be it by listening to
the bang of a bat against a trash
can or a manner less illicit — and
the hardest task in sports
becomes a heck of a lot easier.
Long before the Houston Astros
schemed to illegally swipe signs
to let their hitters know what
pitch was on the way, hitters were
trained to notice any variance in
a pitcher’s delivery that might tip
off the subsequent pitch.
Strasburg’s delivery offers no
clues. The look of his body when
sVrluga from D1
BARRY SVRLUGA
With his filthy change-up,
Strasburg can’t be copied
nental championships. The top
two finishers at each earn a spot
at the olympics. If their country
already h as qualified a t eam to the
olympics, the spot is awarded to
the country, rather than to the
individual.
The International olympic
Committee said in a statement it
is working with international
sport federations and the To kyo
organizing committee to track
how qualifying events could be
affected by the coronavirus.
Leung said USA Gymnastics
has asked fIG for guidance and
the organization’s response was
about “preventive measures,”
such as washing hands.
“But we’re like, ‘Well, we actu-
ally need guidance on are you
going to change the olympic
qualification procedures that are
currently written,’ ” Leung said.
“They said they’re reviewing it.”
When asked whether USA
Gymnastics would keep athletes
away from international meets
that aren’t necessary for olympic
qualification, Leung said: “I
wouldn’t say that, because it
depends on where that competi-
tion is being held. And it depends
on the current situation at that
time.”
[email protected]olympics, a change from 2016
when teams had five members.
But federations can earn up to
two additional individual olym-
pic spots through a process that
involves these World Cup meets.
There are eight meets, begin-
ning in November 2018 and end-
ing this month, in which gym-
nasts can earn points on each
apparatus. The gymnast’s best
three results count in the final
rankings. The winners for each
event earn an olympic spot for
themselves, limited to one athlete
per country. The United States
has only one gymnast who proba-
bly will qualify through this
route: Jade Carey is in first on
both vault and floor with maxi-
mum points on each event, mean-
ing she does not need to attend
more events.
The American Cup is the first
competition in a different World
Cup series through which na-
tions are a warded points for their
athletes’ all-around finishes. The
top three countries at the end of
the series earn an olympic spot.
Because all four meets count
toward the federation’s point to-
tal, missing a competition would
hurt a country’s chances.
The third route for earning
olympic spots is through conti-ing Zhang Jin and Hu Xuwei,
who will compete Saturday, re-
portedly had been training in
Doha, Qatar, to avoid similar
complications with future meets.
russian gymnasts Nikita Na-
gornyy and Lilia Akhaimova will
not compete at t he American C up
this weekend. Nagornyy won the
men’s all-around at the 2019
world championships and would
have been a favorite here.
The q ualification process for
2020 is far more complex than
for previous olympics. There are
many paths to earning olympic
spots, which means the process
involves far more competitions
that affect qualification, height-
ening logistical challenges posed
by the coronavirus and the un-
certainty surrounding it.
“The fast-changing situation
related to the covid-19 outbreak
is a challenge for t he Internation-
al Gymnastics federation as well
as all sports governing bodies,”
the sport’s international organi-
zation said in a statement Thurs-
day. “The fIG is continuously
monitoring the evolution of the
situation closely with the host
federations of upcoming events.”
The United States and 11 other
countries have qualified four-
member teams to the To kyoletes as to whether or not they
should be going to these events.”
morgan Hurd, the 2 017 all-
around world champion, is com-
peting here Saturday, as is Kayla
DiCello of Boyds as a wild-card
entry. Host nations can add a
wild-card spot for an additional
gymnast, but those results don’t
count toward the country’s
points total for olympic qualifi-
cation. Sam mikulak and Shane
Wiskus (wild card) will represent
the United States in the men’s
competition.
During the U.S. women’s cam-
paign to earn this olympic spot,
Simone Biles, the 2016 olympic
champion, is expected to repre-
sent the United States at the
To kyo event. fellow U.S. olympic
hopefuls Sunisa Lee (Stuttgart)
and Grace mcCallum (Birming-
ham) are on the rosters for the
other two events.
Hurd said the virus has not
affected her preparation, apart
from leading her to keep hand
sanitizer in her bag.
Chinese gymnasts were forced
to withdraw from a competition
with olympic qualification im-
plications last month in mel-
bourne because of the Australian
government’s travel restrictions.
Some Chinese gymnasts, includ-BY EMILY GIAMBALVOmilwaukee — T he spread of the
coronavirus has complicated the
qualification process f or national
gymnastics federations around
the world seeking to determine
whom they will send to the 2020
olympics.
A four-meet series that begins
here Saturday at the American
Cup is scheduled to continue in
Stuttgart, Germany (march 21);
Birmingham, England (march
28); and To kyo (April 4). Germa-
ny, the United Kingdom and
Japan each have at least 100
confirmed cases of the virus,
which has infected more than
100,000 people worldwide.
The United States plans to
send gymnasts to each event and
almost certainly will use the
results to add a spot to its
olympic roster.
“We are taking a proactive
stance on that,” Li Li Leung, the
president and CEo of USA Gym-
nastics, said friday of the upcom-
ing World Cup events. “We are
monitoring the situation closely.
... We are also pushing [the
International Gymnastics feder-
ation] to provide us with addi-
tional guidance, so we can make
the right decisions for our ath-
Olympic gymnastics qualifying is muddled by the coronavirus
doesn’t account for all the swings
and misses he generated earlier
in at-bats. only two pitchers who
threw at least 100 change-ups —
Cincinnati ace Luis Castillo and
New York Yankees reliever
To mmy Kahnle — allowed a
lower average against their
change-ups. And that number
compares favorably with
Strasburg’s deathly curveball, on
which he allowed a .161 average.
By virtue of his
accomplishments — a
1.46 postseason ErA, the World
Series victory, on and on —
Stephen Strasburg is a pitcher
worth emulating. But the
change-up, in how he throws it
and how he sells it, can’t really be
copied. Don’t e ven try. Just enjoy.
“How to teach it?” menhart
said. “I wish I knew how. I’d be a
super-coach. He’s got a gift that
allows him to feel comfortable in
just letting it rip.”
[email protected]for more by barry svrluga, visit
washingtonpost.com/svrluga.stops,” Snyder said. “That’s the
only way to explain it.”
Strasburg has such command
of the pitch that he can throw it
in counts that other pitchers
would shy away from.
“It’s one of those pitches that
you’re safe calling it at any time,”
catcher Yan Gomes said. Gomes’s
counterpart, Kurt Suzuki, heard
this conversation and chimed in.
“It’s heavy, the action on it,”
Suzuki said. “It’s almost like a
[split-finger fastball]. It must
have something to do with how
big his hands are.”
Before he returned to the
Nationals last year, Suzuki faced
Strasburg 14 times as a member
of the Atlanta Braves. He must
have encountered the change-up,
right?
“Yep,” he said. “I spit on it.”
Seriously?
“Nope. Swing and a miss.”
He’s not alone. Last year,
opposing hitters managed a
.140 batting average against
Strasburg’s change-up, according
to mLB.com’s Statcast data. Thatpower. He’s not only selling the
hitter that it’s a fastball. He’s
selling himself. That allows him
to do everything else as he would
when throwing a fastball and let
the grip alter the ball’s flight.
“It’s going to do what it’s going
to do,” Strasburg said. “But where
my sights are is I’m going
through the [catcher’s] glove,
trying to knock over the glove.”
The resulting action of the
baseball is stunning. During
spring training, other pitchers
have examined Strasburg’s
bullpen sessions, mostly to study
the change-up. Hudson watched
from off to the side last week. “It’s
pretty special,” he said, and he
wondered about the physics
involved. Strickland, another
reliever, has talked to Strasburg
about his grip and his mentality.
Snyder, a journeyman infielder
who caught Strasburg’s offseason
bullpen sessions at Nationals
Park, marvels at the pitch.
“It’s coming out of his hand so
quick that it seems like it gets to
about where the dirt is — andJeff roberson/AssocIAted Press
T he Nationals’ stephen strasburg used his change-up more than 20 percent of the time last season.ASSOCIATED PRESSThe NBA fined Dallas owner
mark Cuban $500,000 on friday
for “public criticism and detri-
mental conduct” regarding offici-
ating. S eparately, the l eague sent a
memo to teams reminding them
of rules that govern conduct of
owners, coaches and other team
personnel during games.
The memo, obtained by the As-
sociated Press, laid out parame-
ters for proper conduct by team
personnel toward game officials,
how team personnel other than
coaches are not allowed on the
court during games and how they
cannot use “profane or objection-
able language that might be heard
by spectators” d uring the g ame.
further, it said the league’s “en-
forcement of these rules with en-
hanced penalties will be a point of
emphasis for the league office”
during the rest of the season and
beyond.
The memo about the rules of
conduct for team personnel does
not mention Cuban specifically,
though he typically sits near the
mavericks’ bench during games.
The first order of business fri-
day was NBA Commissioner
Adam Silver denying the maver-
icks’ protest of the outcome of a
feb. 22 g ame against Atlanta. Dal-
las contended that goaltending
rules were misapplied when a late
basket by Atlanta’s John Collins
was counted. Collins scored as a
whistle was blown and goaltend-
ing of a layup attempt by the
Hawks’ Trae Young was called on
Dallas’s Dorian finney-Smith.
Collins grabbed Young’s miss and
scored as confusion reigned.
l laKErs: L os A ngeles s igned
guard D ion Waiters for i ts p ostsea-
son p ush.
Waiters is an eight-year NBA
veteran who had been a free agent
since memphis waived him last
month, three days after acquiring
him f rom miami in t he three-team
trade that landed Andre Iguodala
with the Heat.Nets put on a show for Dr. J
Caris L eVert and t he Nets treat-
ed Dr. J to a show in his first game
in Brooklyn.
Gregg Popovich sure didn’t en-
joy it after reclaiming his seat on
the S an Antonio Spurs’ b ench.
LeVert had 27 points, 11 re-
bounds and 10 assists for his first
career triple-double, and the Nets
pounded San Antonio, 139-120, at
Barclays Center in New York in
Popovich’s return from a one-
game absence.
With Julius Erving attending
one of their games for the first
time since they moved to Brooklyn
in 2012, the Nets put eight players
in double figures and led by 33 in
front of one of the best players in
franchise h istory.
l THuNDEr 126, KNICKs
103: At madison Square Garden,
Danilo Gallinari scored 22 points
in 27 minutes and was one of six
oklahoma City players to finish in
double figures as the Thunder
routed New York.
Chris Paul added 21 points and
12 assists for oklahoma City,
which h as won seven o f 10.
l JaZZ 99, CElTICs 94: mike
Conley made six three-pointers
and scored 2 5 points, Jordan
Clarkson added 17 points, and vis-
iting Utah earned its fourth con-
secutive win.
The Celtics were without in-
jured forwards Jaylen Brown and
Gordon Hayward.
l PaCErs 1 08, Bulls 102:
Domantas Sabonis dominated
with 24 points and 12 rebounds,
and visiting Indiana hung on to
beat Chicago f or its fifth win i n six
games.
l MagIC 132, TIMBEr-
WOlVEs 1 18: Nikola Vucevic
had 28 points and 12 rebounds to
lead orlando to a victory in min-
neapolis, although the magic
played most of the second half
without Coach S teve Clifford, who
left in the third quarter after be-
coming ill a nd was later t aken to a
hospital for further evaluation.
l MaVErICKs 121, grIZ-
ZlIEs 96: Kristaps Porzingis had
26 points and 11 rebounds as host
Dallas handled memphis.
It was Porzingis’s fifth straight
game with at least 20 points and
10 rebounds.
l PElICaNs 110, HEaT 104:
Brandon Ingram overcame a poor
shooting performance in which h e
missed 15 of his first 17 shots by
scoring five points in the final
62 seconds as host New orleans
snapped a three-game skid.
l suNs 127, TraIl BlaZErs
117: Aron Baynes scored a career-
high 37 points on a career-high
nine three-pointers, Dario Saric
added 24 p oints, a nd host Phoenix
snapped a four-game slide.NBA ROUNDUPCuban fined
$500,000
for criticism
of referees
and turned professional in 2018.
She graduated from Stanford last
spring and has been able to focus
solely on her training in the year
leading i nto To kyo.
“People think I already made
the o lympic team,” s he said with a
laugh. “I talk to them, and they’re
like, ‘oh, congrats,’ just because I
won a gold medal four years ago.
It’s like, no, I still have to go
through the process — and it’s not
easy. USA i s so stacked.
“But I think my progression
over the f our years has a llowed m e
to have more support and more
fans who are obviously l ooking for
me to win. So in that sense, that
external pressure is definitely
present.”
manuel made a splash in rio
but could be an ever bigger star in
To kyo. She only has gotten faster
since the NBC cameras made her
an overnight sensation four years
ago. She posted a career-best time
in the 50 (23.97) at the world
championships in 2017 and then
dropped her fastest 100 time
(52.04) at t he same m eet two years
later.
“Ever since rio, I feel like I have
new goals,” she said. “So I’ve been
working towards those and pro-
gressing in the sport. So hopefully
this year it culminates in me
swimming faster t han ever.”
[email protected]She notes that “you train more
than you compete,” a nd the results
in and out of the Stanford pool
have been promising. m anuel i s as
dedicated as anyone to her dry-
land work and the weight room.
She recently posted a video to
social media in which s he l anded a
42-inch box jump.
“She’s just really strong,” says
Katie Ledecky, who trains along-
side her at Stanford. “She does
stuff in the w eight room t hat most
of us don’t even try to do because
it’d be dangerous. She’s just so
powerful, a nd it comes so natural-
ly to her. She pushes the limits in
the weight room as well as the
pool.”
That power is essential for a
sprinter. The short r aces are decid-
ed by the slightest of margins. At
the world championships last
year, manuel won the 50-meter
race by 0.02 seconds and the 100
by 0.39. That sliver of time can be
earned in training. Squats and box
jumps l ead t o explosiveness off the
starting block, for example, and
meehan said manuel is also a
stronger swimmer once she hits
the w ater.
“from a big-picture perspec-
tive, I’ve just never seen her bet-
ter,” he said. “I’m really excited at
what she’s d oing.”
Like Ledecky, manuel cut her
college swimming career shortter,” she said this week. “I’ve felt
like I’ve gone faster times than
previous years. The practices
themselves have been more diffi-
cult than previous years. That’s
why it is sometimes difficult to
come to these meets and not see
the times I want to see. But it’s
definitely important for me to
continue to h ave trust in my t rain-
ing and in Greg, knowing that
when it matters and counts, I’ll
swim fast.”kyo, manuel could match the
American record for medals at a
single olympics by a female ath-
lete. Swimmer Natalie Coughlin
won six medals at the 2008
Games, though no American fe-
male athlete has won more than
four gold medals at a single olym-
pics.
manuel, 23, is competing at t his
week’s TYr Pro Series event i n Des
moines, but the progress isn’t n ec-
essarily glowing on the leader
board. manuel has raced at two
Pro Series stops and both times
finished second in the 100-meter
freestyle. She was edged out by
Canadian Penny oleksiak, the
2016 co-olympic champion, in
January in Knoxville, Te nn., and
was bested by Siobhan Haughey
on Thursday in D es moines.
“Her event profile and her phy-
sique makes coming to meets like
this a challenge,” meehan said.
“She’s one t hat’s just so strong a nd
works so hard, it takes time for h er
to r est and be really good. H er deal
is, ‘When it’s time to go, I’m going
to be really good.’ That’s her train-
ing, her strength and her phy-
sique.”
manuel, who competes in the
50 free Saturday, reminds herself
that her season is built around
peaking in June, July and August
— n ot march.
“I feel really strong in the wa-BY RICK MAESEdes moines — four years ago,
Simone manuel was a college
champion who had never won an
international race. She w as largely
unknown until she touched the
wall at the end of the olympic
100-meter freestyle race, tying for
first place and becoming the first
African American female swim-
mer to win a gold medal in an
individual event.
This summer, she will be one of
the biggest names i n To kyo. m anu-
el appears in commercials and ad
campaigns these days, and she
will be a regular presence on
NBC’s prime-time telecasts this
summer. She has a signature
swimsuit line produced by TYr
and is backed by some of the big-
gest corporate sponsors, such as
Coca-Cola, To yota and Nike.
Her coach offers this hint as to
why: “She’s better than she’s ever
been,” G reg meehan said.
The bar is already high — she
won four medals at the rio de
Janeiro olympics — but manuel
has a chance to clear it this sum-
mer. With mixed relays added to
the Tokyo program, she c ould have
a shot at s ix medals.
That’s h ow many she won at t he
world championships last year, in-
cluding five golds, and if she at-
tempts the same program in To-
Manuel, a surprise in Rio de Janeiro, could be a s tar in Tokyo
mAddIe meyer/AfP/getty ImAges
simone Manuel could have a
shot at six medals at the Tokyo
Olympics this summer.