What a Relief: Jake Fishman

Continuing a series of exclusive interviews with members of the Miami Marlins bullpen, our fifth guest is rookie left-hander Jake Fishman. He took us through his baseball journey, including:

• Representing Israel in the Olympics and World Baseball Classic
• Learning from elite athletes
• Differences between pitching in the majors vs. minors
• Breaking down his pitch mix and unique delivery
• Pokémon walk-up song and “Goliath Grouper” nickname
• Running his own YouTube channel in the baseball offseason

Enjoy Episode 5 of What a Relief!

Fishman is the rare example of a player reaching the majors after being selected in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. The Marlins acquired him from the Blue Jays in the Rule 5 following the 2020 season.

The 6-foot-3 lefty has been used in a wide variety of situations during his two years with the Marlins organization, from spot starts to save situations. He relies primarily on sinkers and sliders. Fishman’s low release point makes him especially difficult for fellow lefties to hit.

Baseball-Reference

Fishman made his MLB debut against the Mets on July 31. Soon after, the Marlins designated him for assignment, but the 27-year-old cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville. He was selected to return to The Show last week.

The Jewish Fishman represented Israel in the Tokyo Olympics. He tells Fish Stripes he hopes to pitch for Israel again in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, which will be played primarily at LoanDepot Park.

Follow Jake on Instagram (@swedishfishman1). Follow Noah (@Trainboy100) and Fish Stripes (@fishstripes). Check out our full coverage here at FishStripes.com.

Fish Stripes is ranked by Feedspot as the world’s No. 2 Miami Marlins podcast (trailing only the pod that’s produced by the franchise itself). Our programs include The Offishial Show, Big Fish Small Pod, Fish Stripes Unfiltered and Earning Their Stripes. All new episodes are posted to FishStripes.com/podcasts. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, Megaphone or wherever you normally get your pods from.