Hayden Birdsong has come up with a brilliant way to use the middle finger on his right hand.
Well, it's still not very kind to opposing hitters.
But the San Francisco Giants right-handed pitcher has developed one of the nastiest pitches in MLB by placing his fingers in an unconventional arrangement.
They call it a "kick change," and you can see it in this video here. Birdsong lines his middle finger right up with the center axis of the baseball, with his pointer and ring fingers along the side.
Hayden Birdsong's Kick Change. 🐦⬛🎶 pic.twitter.com/Lld3Wx2nEJ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 26, 2025
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Birdsong is just 23 years old and has a 1.91 ERA this season. He began the year in the bullpen but has earned starts as of late.
This changeup is Birdsong's third-most frequently used pitch this season, behind his four-seam fastball and slider. It averages 89.1 miles per hour.
Opponents bat just .214 against the changeup, and they just have one extra base hit (a double). That adds up to a .250 opponent slugging average in at bats ending in the Birdsong changeup, and that's before the nasty one he threw in that video from Monday.
You can see just how quickly that changeup falls off the table. It has action that will either lead to groundballs or swings over the top entirely.
The Giants could be benefiting from it for a long time.
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