SAN FRANCISCO – In an ideal season in ideal situations, Christian Koss would never toe the rubber at Oracle Park for the Giants.
Yet in a season in which very few things have been ideal, Koss has managed to put some shine on those situations.
Take Saturday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles for example.
The Giants’ pitching staff was taking it on the chin all afternoon so when it came time to mop things up in the ninth inning, manager Bob Melvin called for Koss rather than going deeper into his bullpen.
The result? Another scoreless outing for the 27-year-old infielder in what is becoming arguably the best sideshow to the Giants season.
“He’s getting used to it, looking pretty comfortable out there,” Melvin said following San Francisco’s 11-1 loss at home. “You don’t want to have to use that but when you have somebody like that that you know is going to go out there and throw strikes and try to get you through the inning pretty quickly … he’s the guy for it and he’s all in for whatever the team needs.”
To be certain, Koss isn’t exactly an intimidating presence on the pitcher’s mound. He stands 6-feet 1-inch and is 190 pounds at best maybe after he’s had a full meal.
Nor does he have dominating stuff on the mound. The majority of the time he’s pitching, Koss is simply trying to lob the ball over the plate.
Giants starting pitcher Carson Seymour spoke to Koss previously about sticking with the same pitching motion whether he’s trying to throw hard or fast. Most of the time it’s been slow, methodical pitches that Koss throws.
“I’m going up there lobbing it, just hoping my defense does what they’ve been doing, and try to keep it scoreless,” Koss said. “I’m just glad I could help the team get through something.”
Koss has a perfect 0.00 ERA in his four outings. He’s allowed four hits and hasn’t walked anyone. He hasn’t struck out anyone either, although he came close Saturday.
Most of Koss’s pitches were clocked in the high 40s before he muscled up for an 84 mph fastball on a 1-2 count to Coby Mayo that barely missed the outside of the strike zone. Fans booed the call, which starting pitcher Carson Seymour thought was a clear strike.
“I thought the one heater he threw, I think it was 84 which is pretty impressive because it wasn’t like he did a full leg lift or anything like that, I thought it was a strike,” Seymour said. “I guess he’ll live to fight another day.”
Ideally, the Giants won’t have a need to have Koss pitch again. Position players generally are called upon to pitch in games that are blowouts.
That factor alone, Koss believes, is one of the reason’s he’s had the pitching success that he’s had this season.
“I throw it slow enough,” Koss said. “Kind of at a point in the game where the hitters are kind of over it too. I know as s a hitter myself facing a position player is never the best thing to do. I’m just up there throwing it slow enough in a rough spot for them.”
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