Actual Different Calls from Vance Worley’s Friday Start

Phillies right-hander Vance Worley currently possesses a swinging-strike rate of 5.5% — which swinging-strike rate would typically produce a strikeout rate of about 12%. Instead, at 20.6%, Worley has a considerably higher strikeout rate than that. That he features the lowest opponent Z-Swing% (that is swing rate against pitches within the zone) among qualified pitchers goes a long way towards explaining how Worley has been successful — namely, by inducing a great number of called strikes three.

But you needn’t take my — or even LeVar Burton’s — word for it. Indeed, here are five actually different audio clips from Worley’s Friday night start against San Francisco (box):

Audio from CSN Philadelphia.

Top 2nd, O Out

[audio:http://www.fangraphs.com/not/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/VW1.mp3]

Top 2nd, 1 Out

[audio:http://www.fangraphs.com/not/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/VW21.mp3]

Top 3rd, O Out

[audio:http://www.fangraphs.com/not/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/VW31.mp3]

Top 3rd, 1 Out

[audio:http://www.fangraphs.com/not/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/VW41.mp3]

Top 5th, 2 Out

[audio:http://www.fangraphs.com/not/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/VW61.mp3]