▲ Brooks Raley
[SPOTV News = Reporter Yoon Uk-jae] He throws slower than most relievers, but getting hitters out isn’t a problem. The former Lotte ace remains a fixture on big-league bullpens.
Brooks Raley, 38, the New York Mets’ late-inning lefty, has continued to be reliable this season.
On the 4th (Korean time), Raley came on in relief at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, during the Mets’ road game against the Los Angeles Angels in the 2026 MLB season.
With the Mets up 5–1 in the bottom of the ninth, Raley opened shakily, giving up a leadoff single to Jo Adell on an 81.1 mph (131 km/h) sweeper to left.
He flipped the script by striking out Josh Lowe swinging on an 81.6 mph (131 km/h) sweeper for the second out.
A spectacular defensive play by a teammate helped seal the inning. Facing Bon Grissom, Raley saw right fielder Carson Benji dive and grab Grissom’s drive in right field — a standout diving catch.
The final batter he faced was Oswaldo Peraza. With the count at 1–2, Raley threw an 81.8 mph (132 km/h) sweeper that clipped the outer edge of the strike zone for a called third strike. Peraza was out, and the Mets closed the game, 5–1.
▲ Brooks Raley
▲ Brooks Raley
Raley worked a clean inning: one hit, two strikeouts, no runs, on 15 pitches — 12 of them strikes.
This season Raley has appeared in 14 games, pitched 12 2/3 innings, recorded one loss and five holds, and posted a 1.42 ERA.
He’s not a velocity pitcher. In this outing he threw nine sweepers, and his top velocity reached 91.1 mph (146 km/h), nothing overwhelming. His slowest pitch was 79 mph (127 km/h), which stood out almost as much as his top speed.
Despite lower velocity, Raley uses a mix of sweepers, sinkers, cutters and changeups to neutralize hitters. Sweepers account for 41.9% of his offerings this year.
Raley, who spent time with the Chicago Cubs from 2012–2023, signed with the Lotte Giants in 2015 and began his run in the KBO. In 2017 he made 30 starts, logged 187 1/3 innings, went 13–7 with a 3.80 ERA, and helped Lotte reach the postseason. He remained in Korea through 2019. His KBO totals: 152 games, 910 2/3 innings, a 48–53 record and a 4.13 ERA.
He returned to the majors in 2020 with the Cincinnati Reds and, after stops with the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays, developed into one of the game’s top left-handed relievers. He notched 25 holds with Tampa Bay in 2022 and matched that total in his first year with the Mets in 2023 — a career-turning stretch.
▲ Brooks Raley
▲ Brooks Raley
