Dustin May’s One-Pitch Game: Brewers’ Strategy Shift

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Dustin May had an extremely brief outing against the New York Mets on Wednesday night. His game lasted only one pitch when a 106 mph line drive struck him during the Brewers’ 8-1 victory at Citi Field.

In the first inning, Mets center fielder A.J. Ewing returned a 96 mph fastball from May with a harder hit that deflected off the pitcher. The ball then went directly to third baseman David Hamilton, who quickly threw to first for an out.

Despite securing an out, May suffered a painful blow. He appeared in noticeable discomfort and clutched his injured area while trainers rushed to his aid. Attempting to continue, May performed a few warm-up pitches with support from the training team and manager Pat Murphy. However, May realized something was off.

“When I threw it, it felt fine,” May said. “But after a couple of seconds, the next throw didn’t feel right. They decided to play it safe to protect me for the future.”

He left the game with a bruised right scapula but remains hopeful about his next start.

“I think it all just depends on how I feel Thursday,” May stated. “I feel better knowing there’s nothing structurally wrong.”

With May out, Murphy relied on the bullpen for the game’s remaining 26 outs, joking about the situation.

“We planned just using May as an opener,” Murphy said with a grin. “Parts of six innings for Gasser—great, really great. Made big pitches at big times.”

Robert Gasser took over for May, impressively pitching 5 1/3 innings and allowing just one run. Following him, Grant Anderson and Bryse Wilson combined for 3 1/3 shutout innings, yielding just three hits.

Gasser’s performance marked his first relief appearance in the major leagues.

“Definitely something I haven’t had to experience before,” Gasser remarked. “I didn’t even sit down out there.”

May, acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline, is expected to play a significant role for the Brewers as the season progresses. He has a 6-8 record and a 4.56 ERA in 25 starts this year.

The Brewers (82-51) aim to win their three-game series against the Mets (60-73) on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET.