The term “3-cushion” is commonly used in billiards. However, it became a topic of conversation in baseball when Dervish Yu, a Major League player from Japan, demonstrated that “3-cushion” is possible in baseball as well.
“Dervish Yu, the player who caused pain to three people with one ball”
The main character of this story is Dervish Yu, who pitched as a starter in the Miami Marlins game on April 16, 2019, recording 5.2 innings with 2 earned runs.
The pitching that caused a stir that day occurred in the 6th inning. With no runners on base and two outs, he faced batter Lewis Brinson, and on his third pitch to Brinson, the ball struck Brinson’s thigh, then hit the umpire behind him, and the ball that struck the umpire subsequently hit the catcher’s back. The pitch he threw at that time boasted considerable power, clocking in at 99 miles per hour.
The scene became a topic of conversation online, and it was given various nicknames. It was even likened to the unit “Mutalisk” from the game StarCraft because Mutalisks perform a “3-cushion” attack in the game.
It was also referred to using terms from billiards, such as “3-cushion,” or terms from games like League of Legends, such as “triple kill.”
Dervish Yu is an exceptional player who has received attention in Major League Baseball, and this rare scene caught even more interest due to its uniqueness.