Remember a year ago whenever Mitch Keller jumpstarted his career against the Dodgers by unveiling his new sinker to keep them at bay.
What a difference a year -- or at least 11 months -- makes. Keller once again got a chance to face the Dodgers Thursday at PNC Park, and this time struck them out a career-high matching 10 times over six innings to lead the way for a 6-2 Pirates victory.
Here's that final strikeout, a dotted fastball on the low, outside corner to send James Outman back to the pine:
Mitch Keller's 10th K pic.twitter.com/OBl3ysEzij
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 27, 2023
The Dodgers couldn't hit that fastball all game. Actually, they didn't swing at it all that often, watching 43% of the four-seamers he threw in the zone go by for a strike, and eight of his 10 strikeouts were on some variation of fastball:

Keller's strikeout locations Thursday.
It's another sign that the Keller from April 2022 is most likely in the past, but Keller didn't think too much about how it was against the Dodgers that he got his second win.
"I’m just trying to keep going, keep the good thing going," Keller said. "I try not to think too much of last year, more or less just looking at scouting reports in the last and what I was doing is about all I’ve watched about last year.”