Jason Motte has emerged as the Cardinals' closer this postseason and has been lights out. And he's been doing it all despite terrible vision, which often leads to him being unable to see where he's throwing the ball.
The 29-year-old reliever's nearsightedness is bad enough that he often squints on the mound because he can't see catcher Yadier Molina's signals, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Motte will reportedly sometimes wave his glove up and down in an effort to get Molina to hold his fingers lower, which could expose the signs to the opposing team. If the signs are being exposed to the opposition, though, it hasn't mattered. Motte enters the World Series having given up no runs on only one hit through eight innings this postseason. He's struck out seven batters and has recorded four saves in seven appearances.
When asked what his vision is, Motte was apparently unsure.
"I don't know what my vision is," he said. "But I can promise I'm not Ted Williams."
Motte reportedly tried glasses and contact lenses on the mound in the past, but he had issues with both. So, instead, the Cardinals reliever, whose fastball approaches 100 mph, has decided to do away with trying to correct his vision, even if it means home plate looks blurry to him.
But, as Yahoo! Sports points out, Motte still manages to walk 2.1 batters per nine innings, which is an extremely low rate for someone with the 11th-best velocity in the major leagues this year.
