{"id":617473,"date":"2026-05-01T15:32:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T15:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/617473\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T15:32:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T15:32:11","slug":"he-finally-tried-a-chicken-wing-hes-80-plus-the-most-unhittable-pitcher-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/617473\/","title":{"rendered":"He finally tried a chicken wing! He\u2019s 80! Plus: The most unhittable pitcher ever"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB<\/a> newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer did not eat a chicken wing for the first 80 years of his life. That has now been remedied.<\/p>\n

Plus: Munetaka Murakami is thriving in Chicago, Jayson Stark has a bold claim about Mason Miller and our Baseball Card of the Week would like you to smell this curveball, please. I\u2019m Levi Weaver, welcome to The Windup!<\/p>\n

Pay Up: Palmer tries his first-ever (!) chicken wing<\/p>\n

It was no \u201cMike Blowers predicts Matt Tuiasosopo\u2019s first career home run\u201d (what ever could be<\/a>?) but we had a moment in the Orioles\u2019 booth yesterday that caused me to hit rewind.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start way back on April 15, 2025. Palmer, the Hall of Fame pitcher, was doing color commentary for an Orioles game and made a stunning admission: \u201cDo you know I\u2019ve never had a (chicken) wing? Ever?\u201d<\/p>\n

Play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown was as shocked as you are right now. Their exchange went like this:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean you\u2019ve never had a wing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNever, ever had a wing \u2026 why would I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve never had a\u00a0single chicken wing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, never thought about having one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is\u00a0staggering.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next night, Brown had a dozen wings delivered to the booth, along with some chicken tenders. Palmer accepted a tender, but said he didn\u2019t want a wing, for reasons I cannot even begin to understand.<\/p>\n

Bet or bit, sometimes it\u2019s hard to tell the difference, but ultimately, inspired by Jackson Holliday\u2019s grand slam, Palmer agreed: The next time the Orioles hit a grand slam \u2014 as long as he was working the game \u2014 he would try a chicken wing.<\/p>\n

Between then and yesterday, the Orioles had hit four. But Palmer wasn\u2019t working any of those games. Then yesterday, with the Orioles leading the Astros 1-0 in the first game of a doubleheader, and Palmer in the booth, Adley Rutschman did the thing. Astros center fielder Brice Matthews almost robbed it, but\u00a0couldn\u2019t hang on to the ball<\/a>. Grand slam.<\/p>\n

Brown didn\u2019t miss a beat, ending the call with,\u00a0\u201cAnd we need to get you a chicken wing!!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coincidentally, before a wing could even be located, Jeremiah Jackson hit the Orioles\u2019\u00a0second\u00a0grand slam of the day.\u00a0But in the eighth inning, the moment finally came: At 80 years old, Palmer ate his first chicken wing. Ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, these are pretty good,\u201d he said between bites. \u201cLook at what I\u2019ve missed all these years.\u201d<\/p>\n

No kidding, Jim. Why do you think everyone was so shocked?<\/p>\n

Anyway, the Orioles won 10-3, and then the Astros came back and took the second game of the doubleheader, 11-5.<\/p>\n

Middle Relief: Stark on Miller\u2019s unhitability<\/p>\n

Today, Jayson Stark dives deep into the numbers and posits that over his recent scoreless streak,\u00a0Mason Miller\u00a0is the most\u00a0unhittable pitcher in baseball history<\/a>. Take it away, Jayson \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

Has it hit you yet what we\u2019re watching? Has it sunk in what is happening when\u00a0Miller\u00a0takes the mound to finish off another thank-you-and-drive-home-safely baseball game in San Diego?<\/p>\n

We are watching the most unhittable pitcher who ever lived. Period.<\/p>\n

There. I said it. And now I\u2019m here to prove it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve looked at everyone who ever had a case to hold that title: Nolan Ryan \u2026 Aroldis Chapman \u2026 Josh Hader \u2026 Edwin D\u00edaz \u2026 Craig Kimbrel \u2026 Mariano Rivera \u2026 Eric Gagne \u2026 Pedro Mart\u00ednez \u2026 Randy Johnson \u2026 Jacob deGrom \u2026 Sandy Koufax \u2026 Walter Johnson \u2026 and on and on.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve talked to two of the greatest closers of modern times, Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner. I\u2019ve dug deep into every number that could shape this argument.<\/p>\n

It has all pointed me right back to the same place: Miller,\u00a0the Padres closer, is the most unhittable pitcher who ever lived.\u00a0Fortunately, I had no trouble finding two Hall of Fame closers who were right there with me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s even an opinion,\u201d said Wagner, a man who owns a plaque in Cooperstown because he should have a place in this debate. \u201cI think until somebody says, \u2018I can prove you wrong,\u2019 the stats say you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the numbers are lying,\u201d said Hoffman, who must have been pretty good since MLB\u2019s best National League reliever trophy (the Trevor Hoffman Award) is named after him. \u201cWhat was that guy\u2019s name, Sidd Finch \u2014 the fictitious reliever (that Sports Illustrated once made up<\/a>) who threw, like, 110 (mph)? That was fiction, but Mason\u2019s real. And outside of Sidd Finch, I think Mason might be the most unhittable pitcher ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

So there you go. Outside of a not-even-real dude who Sports Illustrated once slapped on its magazine cover as an April Fools joke in 1985, this is not even a contest. Really.<\/p>\n

First off, it is great to have two Hall of Famers on your side when you\u2019re making pronouncements like this. Otherwise, you people might be tempted to dash off a bunch of nasty remarks in the comments section. Glad we headed that off in this newsletter (ha ha).<\/p>\n

But second, I honestly am prepared to prove this theory. It isn\u2019t even that hard. Just check out these numbers for yourself.<\/p>\n

I started with Miller\u2019s appearance on Aug. 6, 2025 \u2014 the day after his final run allowed last year \u2014 and kept counting until he finally gave up another run four days ago. Now get a whiff of Miller\u2019s Sidd Finch-ian numbers in between. Unlike Sports Illustrated, I didn\u2019t make any of these up:<\/p>\n

Opposing hitters went 7-for-127 (.055), with 87 strikeouts
\nLet\u2019s repeat that: 87 strikeouts \u2026 and \u2026 seven hits
\nHe faced 141 hitters. Not one of them scored
\n39 straight games with zero extra-base hits allowed
\n39 straight games without ever allowing more than one hit<\/p>\n

\u201cRidiculous,\u201d Hoffman said, literally laughing out loud when I read him those numbers. \u201cI\u2019d be hard-pressed to see someone do that with a Wiffle Ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

(To read the rest,\u00a0click here<\/a>!)<\/p>\n

Big Swings: Murakami\u2019s hot bat<\/p>\n

It was a shocker when Murakami signed his first MLB contract this winter, for a couple of reasons. First, the fact that he signed for just two years and $34 million, which was well below initial projections.<\/p>\n

As a direct result of his price coming down that far, we got our second surprise: The White Sox? The team that had lost a combined 223 games over the previous two years?<\/p>\n

Well, they\u2019re probably going to lose a few less this year, thanks in large part to Murakami, who is tied with Aaron Judge and Yordan \u00c1lvarez atop the league\u2019s home run leaderboard, with 12.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also near the top of the leaderboard in strikeouts. That\u2019s not a surprise, either. The proclivity for swing-and-miss was part of what cooled his market this winter. But even with a strikeout rate of nearly 34 percent, his on-base percentage is .375, thanks to an abundance of walks.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s the platonic ideal of a three-true-outcomes player. But it\u2019s working, and as Jon Greenberg writes today, it\u2019s making White Sox GM Chris Getz look pretty smart<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Baseball Card of the Week: 1979 Topps Tom House<\/p>\n

\"\"\/ \"\"\/<\/p>\n

You probably know Tom House as one of the\u00a0godfathers of modern pitching analytics<\/a>. But the reason I picked this card is because it looks like he\u2019s showing his curveball grip to someone who claims to be able to identify different pitches by their smell, but \u2014\u00a0surprise! \u2014\u00a0I don\u2019t see any stitches on that ball; do you mean to tell me you smelled curveball, but didn\u2019t think to mention he was holding a\u00a0cue ball?! Get out of here, man.<\/p>\n

Handshakes and High Fives<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t look now, but the Phillies are 3-0 in the Don Mattingly era. The\u00a0second two wins came yesterday<\/a>, both walk-offs, and reliever Chase Shugart became the first pitcher since Brian Duensing in 2013 to win both games of a doubleheader.<\/p>\n

No such luck<\/a>\u00a0for the Mets.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Tyler Kepner\u2019s \u201cSliders\u201d column<\/a>, we start with Kyle Harrison finding his mojo in Milwaukee, and ends with a classic baseball blooper.<\/p>\n

Rough week to be a former can\u2019t-miss White Sox prospect. On Wednesday, the Blue Jays DFA\u2019d Eloy Jim\u00e9nez, then yesterday, the\u00a0Mets placed Luis Robert, Jr. on the IL<\/a>\u00a0with \u201clumbar spine disc herniation.\u201d<\/p>\n

As it turns out, \u201cYou\u2019ll Never Walk Alone\u201d could also be a message of empathy from Liverpool fans to Red Sox fans, regarding their\u00a0frustration with aloof owner John Henry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When Craig Counsell won his 900th game as a manager, he was punished for it\u00a0in the most Chicago way imaginable<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We love a good walk-through. This time, it\u2019s Guardians outfielder Angel Mart\u00ednez, who walks Zack Meisel\u00a0through the 11-pitch at-bat<\/a>\u00a0that resulted in his second home run against Max Scherzer.<\/p>\n

Streak check:<\/p>\n

A\u2019s first baseman Nick Kurtz extended his streak to\u00a019 straight games\u00a0with a walk,\u00a0tying Ted Williams (1941) for third-best, all time. Next up: Barry Bonds (20 games, 2002-2003).
\nDiamondbacks infielder Ildemaro Vargas got two hits, meaning he has a\u00a023-game hitting streak\u00a0to start the season. On the \u201cto start a season\u201d list, that\u2019s tied for seventh-best with Edgar Renteria (Braves, 2006). Next up: Charlie Grimm of the 1925 Pirates (25 games).<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in our last newsletter:\u00a0You were as curious as everyone else about the incongruity between Fernando Tatis Jr. hitting the ball harder than anyone, but having\u00a0no home runs to show for it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Love The Windup? Check out\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":617474,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":["post-617473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=617473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617473\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/617474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}