Joe Ryan and the Best Pitch in Twins History

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Last weekend, Joe Ryan unleashed what might be the single most electrifying pitch in Minnesota Twins lore. Clips of the pitch have gone viral on MLB’s platforms and Pitching Ninja’s social feeds, igniting debate over whether hyperbole can actually outpace reality in describing such a masterpiece. Underneath the highlight-reel spin and social-media frenzy, the pitch’s underlying metrics this season demonstrate why the sweeper has become Ryan’s secret weapon in 2025.

Relive the Pitch
In the sixth inning of Minnesota’s contest against the Los Angeles Angels, Ryan fell behind 2–2 to Kyren Paris before unleashing the now-famous sweeper that started over the heart of the plate and darted well into the opposite batter’s box. Paris bit hard, flailing at a pitch that moved more than a typical slider, resulting in a swinging strikeout. In the game, Ryan logged 26 swings and misses and contributed to his season-high 11 strikeouts over seven shutout innings.

Social media accounts immediately seized upon the pitch’s absurd break. MLB’s official highlight package and Rob Friedman (Pitching Ninja) both posted the clip, highlighting the sweeper’s 30 inches of horizontal movement, nearly double the big-league average for breaking balls. 

Mechanics and Movement
At 79.5 mph, Ryan’s sweeper sits comfortably between a traditional slider and a cutter, but it distinguishes itself with its combination of late, sweeping action and deceptive release point. According to Baseball Savant, Ryan’s 2025 sweeper averages 17.6 inches of horizontal movement, an increase of over two inches compared to last season. 

Further complicating matters for hitters is Ryan’s low three-quarters arm slot, a legacy of his early athletic background. His atypical delivery helps hide the ball until it’s too late for the batter to adjust. His 24-degree arm angle is lower this season than his career average, which adds some deception. Combined with a fastball that averages 93 mph and peaks in the upper 90s, Ryan’s arm action makes for a devastating runway: the heater elevates, then the batters’ eyes must rapidly account for a sweeping breaker at the very bottom of the zone.

From Water Polo to the Mound
Before he was drafted, Ryan was a standout water polo athlete whose shoulder strength and unconventional arm path translated naturally to baseball. He leveraged that background in high school and the minors to throw his fastball high in the zone with a unique spin, routinely generating whiffs on four-seamers alone. However, the majors demanded a more varied arsenal, prompting Ryan to develop and refine secondary offerings like the splitter and, most notably, the sweeper.

Introduced in 2022, Ryan’s sweeper usage has steadily climbed from a novelty to an actual go-to pitch. In 2024, he threw it sparingly, but his Whiff Rate on the pitch hovered around 30 percent; this season, that figure has surged to above 40%, a full 10% jump year-over-year. Opponents now hold a .183 xBA and a .314 xSLG when facing his sweeper, underscoring its increasing effectiveness in generating weak contact or outright misses.

Such data-driven optimization speaks volumes about Twins' pitching development. Coaches have helped Ryan extract maximal movement from the pitch without sacrificing control. His ability to elevate the fastball high and then follow with a sweeping breaking ball keeps hitters off balance, driving up his overall put-away percentage.

Impact on the Twins
While Ryan remains fundamentally a fastball-first starter, his newfound command of the sweeper has transformed him into a bona fide frontrunner for Minnesota’s rotation ace. Through April, he led Twins starters in innings pitched, strikeout rate, and WAR, earning Twins Daily’s Pitcher of the Month nod for April 2025

Ryan was once viewed as a back-end rotation piece but has become a true playoff-caliber starter. If last weekend’s “best pitch in Twins history” is any indication, opposing lineups have never faced a more daunting task than handling Ryan’s arsenal, especially when that signature sweeper is on the menu.

Hyperbole may have fueled the claim that Ryan threw the greatest single pitch in Minnesota Twins history, but the combination of Statcast metrics, social-media buzz, and on-field context lends the assertion surprising credibility. As the season unfolds, Twins fans can savor moments like the 30-inch-break beauty, confident that Ryan’s best (or at least his most spectacular) stuff is still yet to come.

Was Ryan’s sweeper the best pitch in Twins history? Can his slider continue to develop? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[thelanges5]

Potent 1-2-3 punch with Ryan, Lopez, and Ober. Paddack and SWR pitching decently at the back end. Frustrating to see all of this good pitching being wasted the batters ineptness at the plate. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Great article. As the game of the "best pitch" progressed, my wife walked into the room. I immediately showed her that pitch and she was amazed, just as I had been. We have never seen anything like that before. Ryan is a special pitcher. 

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, thelanges5 said:

Potent 1-2-3 punch with Ryan, Lopez, and Ober. Paddack and SWR pitching decently at the back end. Frustrating to see all of this good pitching being wasted the batters ineptness at the plate. 

I'm really starting to think that the Chance Of Winning (not the end result) will always be possible if you have the rotational depth and skill we have right now. To those who would have us trade from a position of depth and unload Pablo, or Ober, or Festa/Zebby I say don't. As we have seen position players frequently fail; good pitching will always promise a possibility. I don't ever want to see another Bundy or AJ Happ starting for the next several years.

[D.C Twins]

Keep Ober and Ryan.... trade Lopez and any other veteran in the fire sale. 

Then let the kids play a la 1982-1885

[bean5302]

I don't think anybody has worked harder or been more successful in changing their repertoire than Joe Ryan. He pushes out major changes to his arsenal every year, and the changes are usually a little better than what he had before, but every year, it seems like the scouting reports catch up to the changes by mid season.

1st Half vs. 2nd Half ERA
2022 - 2.99 vs. 4.14
2023 - 3.70 vs. 6.09
2024 - 3.21 vs. 4.88

[bean5302]

13 minutes ago, Patzky said:

I'm really starting to think that the Chance Of Winning (not the end result) will always be possible if you have the rotational depth and skill we have right now. To those who would have us trade from a position of depth and unload Pablo, or Ober, or Festa/Zebby I say don't. As we have seen position players frequently fail; good pitching will always promise a possibility. I don't ever want to see another Bundy or AJ Happ starting for the next several years.

Twins career, starts 5.0+ innings, ERA 3.99 or less. Bundy, Ryan, Ober, Paddack, Lopez, SWR, Festa, Matthews

61%
57%
54%
52%
45% <-- Dylan Bundy
44%
38%
33%

[Patzky]

41 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Twins career, starts 5.0+ innings, ERA 3.99 or less. Bundy, Ryan, Ober, Paddack, Lopez, SWR, Festa, Matthews

61%
57%
54%
52%
45% <-- Dylan Bundy
44%
38%
33%

Festa -Matthews with a very small sample. I'm assuming the numbers are in the order you listed the pitchers?

[jkcarew]

I’m also guessing the guy with the curveball that put him into the hall of fame...Blyleven…probably had a few that may have broke even more. But no social media at the time to make it “credible”.

I love me some Joe Ryan. Aggressive, aggressive, aggressive. Hopefully, he can find the formula to stay strong and healthy through the entire season.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

5 hours ago, Patzky said:

I'm really starting to think that the Chance Of Winning (not the end result) will always be possible if you have the rotational depth and skill we have right now. To those who would have us trade from a position of depth and unload Pablo, or Ober, or Festa/Zebby I say don't. As we have seen position players frequently fail; good pitching will always promise a possibility. I don't ever want to see another Bundy or AJ Happ starting for the next several years.

Amen.

[GNXman]

wow.... right up there witth Blyleven's sweeping  cureveball that would just freeze the hitter...

[nddan67]

I remember when Bert Blyleven came in 1970 at the age of 19.  His curveball was a thing of beauty.  As was Johan Santana's change up.  I believe the rotation is the strength of the team.  Bullpen has a few real good pieces but have been over used.  Need to hit.  its getting better but needs to be a lot better.  You watch the games and it doesn't matter who the Twins are playing both teams have too man guys hitting .200 or lower.  In 60 some years of being a fan of the game it amazes me how low the batting averages are through out baseball.  Even in the year of the pitcher 1968  batters were hitting .260, .270 or so.  If the current Twins could get five guys hitting .260 or better it might help.