Beau Brieske has added a curveball to his pitching arsenal, bringing back a pitch he abandoned after moving to the bullpen and last threw in 2022, The Detroit News reported. The 28-year-old Detroit Tigers reliever, in his fifth season, is using a slightly modified version of his old grip while keeping the same seam orientation.
Brieske’s recent mix had relied on east-to-west movement: a power four-seam fastball paired with a changeup and slider that both average around 89 mph. Hitters adjusted to the pattern. “If they pick one, they can fight the other off,” he said, noting his strikeout rate dropped from 9.2 per nine innings in 2024 to 6.5 in 2025.
He wants the curveball to sit near 85 mph, giving hitters a fourth visual and a fourth speed to track. “Just having that fourth speed,” he said, lets him play a front-to-back game, keeping hitters honest across the velocity spectrum.
In his first live test on September 1 against the Minnesota Twins, Brieske threw the curveball seven times, six to right-handed hitters. Adrenaline pushed it to 86.6 mph — firmer than his target. None were put in play; he recorded one swing-and-miss.
The timing carries stakes. Brieske is in his second year of arbitration and faces the possibility of being non-tendered, making the final stretch of the season a critical audition.
