On June 1, holding a 4–3 lead in the 11th inning at Texas, Rays manager Kevin Cash asked righthander Matt Wisler to close the game. Wisler, 29, is a former failed starter who was traded, waived or designated for assignment seven times in seven years before landing with Tampa Bay last season. He is a different pitcher from most of those travels, and he showed why in pitching a 1-2-3 inning to lock down the save.
Wisler threw the Rangers 14 pitches. Each one was a slider. On the heels of his previous outing, that marked 19 straight sliders from Wisler.
Cash used Wisler again two days later, this time in the seventh to protect a 4–2 lead against the White Sox. In throwing another scoreless inning, Wisler threw 25 pitches. Again, each one was a slider.
Wisler next pitched four days later with another scoreless inning, this time against St. Louis. He started that outing with 10 straight sliders before finally throwing a four-seam fastball.
Wisler threw 54 consecutive sliders. Hitters remained flummoxed. They went 0-for-9, four by strikeout.