Season in review about nothing: Yimi Garcia, ‘The Shoes.’

Yimi Garcia

Yimi Garcia had the highest average spin rate of any pitcher who threw at least 400 fastballs in 2015. (John McCoy/Staff photographer)

This is Part 15 of a series in which every member of the 2015 Dodgers has his season juxtaposed with an episode of the greatest sitcom of all-time. Don’t take it too seriously.

Yimi Garcia, RHP.

Key stats: 3-5, 3.34 ERA, 1 for 6 in save opportunities in 59 games.

Seinfeld episode: “The Shoes” (season 4, episode 16).

Key quote: “Field of vision, huh?”

Yimi Garcia might not have gotten a fair shake prior to this season. Don Mattingly admitted as much in April when he said the Dodgers might have “missed the boat” on Garcia, whose low-90s fastball and low-80s slider aren’t often the stuff of a dominant reliever. “The gun doesn’t always tell the story,” Mattingly said at the time.

Garcia got a couple looks in spring training the last few years then, after some solid work in Triple-A, pitched in eight games late in 2014. This year, he finally got a fair shake. Like most young players, Garcia’s first full major league season was a mix of bad and good.

At 24, Garcia made his first Opening Day roster and proceeded to dominate. Through his first 14 appearances, the right-hander had allowed four hits, one run, walked four batters and struck out 23. Comparisons to Mariano Rivera (no, really!) followed.

Of course, Garcia eventually cooled off. He struggled mightily in high-leverage situations (opponents enjoyed a .989 OPS in 67 plate appearances) and was a disaster when asked to close out a save situation (1-for-6). The Oklahoma City express dropped him off at Triple-A and picked him back up on three separate occasions.

Despite this, only J.P. Howell made more appearances in a Dodger uniform during the regular season. Garcia made the postseason roster and even struck out the side in his only inning against the Mets. The spin rate on his fastball topped the ranks among all major league pitchers who’d thrown at least 400 fastballs.

It’s easy to dismiss a pitcher based on crude measuring tool like a radar gun. It’s also easy to dismiss a sitcom from your network when the sitcom’s co-creator stares down your daughter’s blouse.

In “The Shoes,” George is the gawking idiot who gets his sitcom canceled before the first episode. Jerry cautioned that “looking at cleavage is like looking at the sun. You don’t stare at it. It’s too risky. You get a sense of it and then you look away.” But it was too late.

With help from Elaine, George and Jerry eventually salvaged their pilot — which endured its ups and downs, much like a rookie pitcher.

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.