Yuki Matsui on Thu, Oct 8, 2026

Matsui gets his out on just four pitches, keeping the scoreless run alive

Yuki Matsui worked 0.1 innings against Milwaukee on October 8 in the Division Series, allowing no hits, no runs, and no walks, with no strikeouts either. It was a short appearance of only four pitches, but it extended his scoreless run through this series. The conclusion is simple: he was asked to get one specific out, and he did it efficiently.

Looking at the pitch mix, Matsui split his four pitches evenly, two sliders and two four-seam fastballs. The slider averaged 84.0 mph and the fastball 90.5 mph, a gap of roughly 6.5 mph. Each pitch type had a 50% strike rate, and the one swinging strike came on the slider, which fits its role as his put-away offering. Four pitches is far too small a sample to call a pattern, so I would treat this as a snapshot rather than a trend.

The broader numbers give more context. In the regular season, Matsui posted a 1.83 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP with 68 strikeouts over 54 appearances. His last ten outings, including all of his postseason work, have produced zero earned runs, so the current form is at least as good as his season baseline. Across his five postseason appearances he has covered 5.0 innings without allowing an earned run.

The platoon split is the most notable detail. Against right-handed hitters this season he has allowed a .202 average and a .738 OPS with five home runs in 99 at-bats. Against left-handed hitters those figures drop to .144 and .466, with only two home runs in 118 at-bats. That is a difference of 272 points of OPS, and it suggests that any real risk for Matsui comes from right-handed hitters in the heart of a lineup.

Unico's takeaway: the platoon split deserves attention, but his recent run of scoreless outings is what keeps earning him the trust of his manager.