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With Edwin Diaz heading to the Mets, let's appreciate his filthy fastball-slider combo

On Saturday night, the Mets and Mariners agreed to a trade sending second baseman Robinson Canó and closer Edwin Díaz to New York, according to MLB.com's Jon Morosi. At 24 years old, Diaz is coming off a season in which he recorded 57 saves, which was more than enough to cause Scott Servais to match his unique haircut. It was also good enough to lead the Majors. 
He did it thanks to a fastball/slider combination that was virtually unhittable. Opponents only hit .160 against Diaz in 2018, and even then it's a wonder they even did that well. It's common for closers to rely on just two pitches, but this looks almost unfair:

Thanks to that combination, Diaz struck out 44.3 percent of batters he faced in 2018, with the slider carrying a strikeout rate over 50 percent. Those numbers just can't be right, can they?

Well, they make a little more sense now. The National League better get ready.

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