Glad he kept it together and had a good start. However he still only threw 2 pitches, for a starting pitcher in the MLB that is highly unlikely to work long term in a significant way. Obviously I hope I'm wrong.
It can probably work for a month or two because his two pitches are really good and very unconventional, so it might take hitters awhile to figure out how to hit him even when they guess right at 50/50 odds. I'm fine with him throwing just 2 pitches until he gets comfortable. He will definitely need to add a 3rd pitch to have any hopes of being a long term viable SP.
Javier lived like that for a couple of years (and of course he was sliding between bullpen and starter). Almost exclusively throwing his FB and Slider. Those pitches were also so dominant. I think this no hitter was more of a lucky than good outing.
Not really thought too much on the 2 pitch versus 3 pitch issue. 3 pitches is more of a thing to go deeper into games. I didn't see yesterday's game, but he is generally struggling to get to 4 innings. He does struggle against lefties. His slider is a weird pitch. I'd generally assume a pitcher that gets a lot of variability due to seam-shifted wake would likely need a 3rd pitch less than most as that pitch does not move in a consistent manner. That said, he has had issues bad with lefties as he can't throw his fastball versus lefties. Still, I'd like to see him consistently getting through 4 without giving up a ton of runs before I would worry too much about the 3rd pitch.
One thing every starter needs is confidence. If honing in on his top shelf pitches until he can start incorporating his other pitches; well that could be the recipe for how he fixes his early season pitching woes. It’s a lot easier to tinker with other pitches when you know that your “A” level stuff is Elite. But since I catch games on the radio, I wasn’t aware he only pitched 2 different kinds of pitches yesterday. Which is definitely unconventional for a MLB starter. I too would think that can’t be sustainable for long stretches. But as far as I knew he’s got other pitches too, they just haven’t been effective or elusive. Astros coaches need to work on his third pitch that will most compliment his elite stuff.
His second pitch is essentially a fast knuckleball, as in that you don’t know which way it’s going to break as a hitter. It’d be tough as **** to hit a knuckleballer that pumps in a mid 90s FB half the time.
Knuckle-ball pitchers usually only threw one pitch, though Joe Kniekro liked to throw in a fastball to mess up their timing.
No hitters are rare enough you have to have a good night , great defense and some luck. Unless you count the No Hitter losses. I think there have been two now. Wnen I was younger, we had the only one and that was the only one for like thirty years. Wow. 58 years before the second one. But the Reds are 1-1 and involved in both.
I'd say his nominal "slider" is his 1st pitch, but yes it does move a lot more due to seam shifted wake (knuckle ball movement) than most sliders.
Joe Niekro…..there is no K at the front. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/niekrjo01.shtml DD
In his next start I'm gonna post all morning long about moving him to the bullpen. Gotta keep it going now.
"The best way to catch a knuckleball is to wait for it to stop rolling and then go pick it up." - Bob Uecker on Phil Niekro
Thanks for the laugh. Phil threw one pitch, the knuckleball, which was 65-75 mph and sometimes in the 50s (depending on weather conditions). Phil was a pitching unicorn; not many like him before or after his career.
Pitched in MLB from 25 to 48 years old. Started 716 games, pitched 245 complete games. 1978, when he was 39 years old, he put up 10.0 WAR, pitched 334 innings, 22 complete games, went 19-18 with a 2.88 ERA
Because it is damn hard pitch to master. And catchers do not want to catch a well thrown knuckleball. FWIW most HS pitchers have a 80-88 mph fastball. Average not mediocre.
