The only thing nastier than Rich Hill during NLCS Game 3 was Rich Hill's sidearm delivery

Rich Hill already possesses one of the funkiest deliveries in baseball -- a sort of cross between a man caught in a wind tunnel and a remarkably intense rendition of the Hokey Pokey. It's part of the reason he posted a 1.83 ERA in six starts down the stretch with the Dodgers: Combined with that big banana curveball, hitters can never quite get comfortable.
But, somehow, it appears Hill has added yet another wrinkle to his repertoire. During his start in NLCS Game 3 against the Cubs on Tuesday, he found himself face-to-face Anthony Rizzo with a runner on first and two outs in the sixth inning. So, he stepped up his game -- or, more accurately, he dropped it down sidearm:

Yes, that is Hill following up one of his patented breaking balls with a sidewinding fastball for strike three. His manager, Dave Roberts, tried to explain what made it so effective after the game:
He has that in his mix. But I think that the regular delivery, you know, the feel for locating that curveball wasn't as it normally is. So I think just to add a little more deception by dropping down, throwing the fastball ... As a hitter, changing the arm slots, it gets tough to stay in there.
That was Hill's last batter of the game, capping six masterful innings with just two hits and no runs allowed. With that sort of sorcery on their side, it's no wonder the Dodgers won, 6-0, to take a 2-1 lead in the series. The Cubs will look to rebound against Julio Urías in Game 4 on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.