When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Blackburn throws a fastball 69.6% of the time, against 35.3% when he is ahead.
359 pitches behind in the count, 331 ahead.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .358 expected average against them, against .246 on his breaking balls.
210 of his fastballs thrown.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Blackburn's curveball carries 17.6 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
177 thrown, averaging 81.1 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Blackburn's sinker leaves the bat at 90.0 mph, against 81.5 off his sweeper.
425 and 87 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Blackburn throws the sinker 54.5% of the time against right-handers and 15.4% against left-handers.
600 pitches to right-handers, 637 to left-handers.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Blackburn's sweeper moves 15.4 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
87 thrown, averaging 83.8 mph.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Blackburn lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.15 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
1232 located pitches in 2026.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Blackburn puts 45.8% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 40.7% of his pitches to left-handers.
158 pitches to right-handed hitters, 140 to left-handed hitters.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Blackburn puts 55% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 34.5% when he is ahead.
358 located pitches behind, 330 ahead.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Blackburn's sweeper spins at 2,755 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
87 thrown in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Blackburn releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 41 degrees above horizontal and 1.8 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
1232 tracked release points, averaging 5.9 feet off the ground.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Blackburn goes to the curveball: 20.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 12.3% the rest of the time.
315 two-strike pitches in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.2 mph separates Blackburn's sinker from his curveball, 94.3 against 81.1.
425 and 177 of them respectively.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Blackburn throws 45.8% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 42.4% with the bases empty.
83 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 215 with the bases empty.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17% of Blackburn's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
210 of 1232 located pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Blackburn works with 5 pitches: Sinker, Changeup, Cutter and Curveball, and a little else. The sinker is 34.4% of everything he throws.
1237 classified pitches in 2026.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Blackburn projects a .309 average, 66th percentile.
298 pitches in 2026. 66th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 183rd in MLB.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Blackburn releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
1129 tracked pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Blackburn's sinker averages 94.3 mph, and has touched 96.9.
425 thrown, 34.4% of his pitches.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Blackburn's stuff spins at 2,324 rpm, 62nd percentile in the league.
298 pitches in 2026. 62nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 206th in MLB.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Blackburn has thrown 28 4-seam fastballs this season, 2.3% of his pitches, at 94.5 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
1237 classified pitches in 2026.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Blackburn throws a fastball 69.6% of the time, against 35.3% when he is ahead.
359 pitches behind in the count, 331 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Blackburn puts 55% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 34.5% when he is ahead.
358 located pitches behind, 330 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Blackburn goes to the curveball: 20.3% of his two-strike pitches, against 12.3% the rest of the time.
315 two-strike pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .358 expected average against them, against .246 on his breaking balls.
210 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Blackburn's curveball carries 17.6 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
177 thrown, averaging 81.1 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Blackburn's sweeper moves 15.4 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
87 thrown, averaging 83.8 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Blackburn's sinker leaves the bat at 90.0 mph, against 81.5 off his sweeper.
425 and 87 of them thrown.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Blackburn throws the sinker 54.5% of the time against right-handers and 15.4% against left-handers.
600 pitches to right-handers, 637 to left-handers.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Blackburn's sweeper spins at 2,755 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
87 thrown in 2026.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.2 mph separates Blackburn's sinker from his curveball, 94.3 against 81.1.
425 and 177 of them respectively.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Blackburn works with 5 pitches: Sinker, Changeup, Cutter and Curveball, and a little else. The sinker is 34.4% of everything he throws.
1237 classified pitches in 2026.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Blackburn's sinker averages 94.3 mph, and has touched 96.9.
425 thrown, 34.4% of his pitches.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Blackburn has thrown 28 4-seam fastballs this season, 2.3% of his pitches, at 94.5 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
1237 classified pitches in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Blackburn lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.15 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
1232 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17% of Blackburn's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
210 of 1232 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Blackburn puts 45.8% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 40.7% of his pitches to left-handers.
158 pitches to right-handed hitters, 140 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Blackburn releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 41 degrees above horizontal and 1.8 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
1232 tracked release points, averaging 5.9 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Blackburn releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
1129 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Blackburn throws 45.8% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 42.4% with the bases empty.
83 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 215 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Blackburn projects a .309 average, 66th percentile.
298 pitches in 2026. 66th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 183rd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Blackburn's stuff spins at 2,324 rpm, 62nd percentile in the league.
298 pitches in 2026. 62nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 206th in MLB.
Yankees