SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Typically, when Tanner Scott takes the mound, everyone looks to the radar gun expecting to marvel at 100-mph fastballs.
While Scott, the Orioles' No. 6 prospect, per MLBPipeline.com, did showcase his fastball, it was his slider that grabbed the attention as he helped lead the East to a 4-2 win over the West in the Fall Stars Game on Saturday night.
:: 2017 Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game ::
The 23-year-old lefty utilized the pitch to carve up the West lineup, but as he started getting loose, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to command it in the game.
"The first time I threw it in the 'pen, I was like 'Ah, it's not there,'" Scott said. "Because playing catch, I was like, 'Where's it at?' And I started throwing in the 'pen and was like 'OK, it's there.'"
Scott struck out four in his two innings of work, with all four strikeouts coming courtesy of the slider.
"This year they just had me working on throwing my slider more as a starter, and I have trust in it and I'm going to go out there and throw it every time," Scott said. "I trust it, I have confidence, and today it was how it was during the year and it was successful."
Successful may be a bit of an understatement as the West offense failed to even make contact with the pitch. Scott threw five of his eight sliders for strikes and all five generated a swing and miss.
Scott's slider averaged 86.7 mph and his fastball, which topped out at 98.3 mph, averaged 97 mph, according to Statcast™.
Overall, Scott fired 18 of his 29 pitches for strikes and gave up one hit in his scoreless outing.
The dominant appearance was Scott's best of the AFL thus far, as he's given up six earned runs over his first three starts for Salt River
During the regular season, Scott posted a 2.22 ERA and struck out 87 over 24 starts (69 innings) with Double-A Bowie and finished the year with the Orioles, as he was called up and made two appearances in September, allowing two earned runs on two hits in 1 2/3 innings, with two strikeouts.