When Josh Hader began to struggle in the month of August, some were questioning whether or not the trade to acquire him was a bad move by the San Diego Padres.
Fast forward to October, and the Padres are still playing, thanks in large part to Hader himself, who appears to be back to where he was prior to the trade.
Yesterday, he was called upon to record the final three outs of the game and put the finishing touches on an epic come-from-behind win to even the NLCS at a game apiece before heading to Philadelphia.
Hader did just that and made some history in the process.
He had never thrown a pitch that was 100 mph or above.
He’s already done that six times this postseason, including the pitch he threw to strike out Alec Bohm.
Entering this postseason, Josh Hader had never touched 100.0 MPH in his career. He's thrown 6 100.0 MPH pitches so far this postseason, including his strikeout of Alec Bohm today. pic.twitter.com/dsaQbz5IXB
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 20, 2022
Hader Shuts The Door
Hader appears to be back to his old self.
He brought the heat yesterday in Game 2, throwing his sixth 100-mph pitch of the postseason.
The veteran left-hander is now reaching new heights this October and is coming up clutch for the Padres when needed most.
After what was mostly a disastrous regular season, Hader has not allowed an earned run this postseason and has already notched four saves.
The bullpen came up big yesterday for the Padres after starter Blake Snell labored through five innings, allowing four runs.
Hader struck out all three hitters he faced in the top of the ninth.
Now, the Padres head to Philadelphia tied at a game apiece with the Phils.
They’ll send Joe Musgrove to the hill on Friday as they look to gain a 2-1 series edge.
NEXT: Padres Analyst Shares A Hilarious Goose Update