Taijuan 9 1 1 1 1 11 .... 77 strikes 24 balls
Pedro wannabe goes nuclear on the Twinkies

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You know it, you love it, you ... you seem to prefer it lately to the actual Mariners.  Can't blame you.  But if you missed Friday night's Taijuan Storm, you missed a t'ing o' beauty.

SSI has grokked that you could 'sense the storm looming' on this kid.  Friday, it broke on the Twins' lighthouse with Category V force.  ... Is what happened was, before his last outing (ca. last Sunday) Robinson Cano had finally walked up to Taijuan and said, Kid, you're going to have to throw some curve balls.  Taijuan threw 24 of them and figured out --- > that they work good.

Friday night, Taijuan went to them early and in a convincing way.  It's one thing for a rookie to bloop a curve in there that misses, or that happens to float over the case for a strike.  Then he looks in, "Didja see that?  You gotta respect my curve, man."  Um, no.  "Show me" curve balls are not going to draw an ML hitter's attention away from 96 MPH gas.

Taijuan, in contrast to that, flung his first curve ball up to Miguel Sano in the 1st inning -- first pitch, 0-0 count -- with the air of Felix throwing a changeup.  It started out a strike, finished up a strike, and was called a strike.  Two batters later to Eddie Rosario, another 1st-pitch hook, 74 MPH, dropped in at the knees like Russell Wilson looping a zig-out to Jermaine Kearse.  Very next hitter, Eduardo Nunez, yet another 1st-pitch change curve, dropped in right at the knees again.  Here, let's check out the location, because he threw at least 12 to exactly this spot:

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Taijuan vs E. Nunez
Taijuan's hook

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THAT will draw an ML hitter's attention, because it is embarrassing to him.  Now, then, he's got to see the ball before he starts his swing.  Now, then, a dominating fastball dominates.

After that "convincing curve" to Rosario, Taijuan's fastball looked 107 MPH.  ... and as we've conceded (conceited?) since about May 1, Taijuan actually does have remarkable command of his fastball now.  So the Twinkies were in deep, deeeeeep doo-doo from inning two on.

Here's the video, if you want to wallow in Taijuan's future hunnerd million:

  • Pitch 1 = a 3-2 changeup (!) drops under Hicks' bat for the whuff
  • Pitch 2 = 96 MPH fastball blows their cleanup hitter down on 0-2 (curve, change, gas, 3 pitches siddown)
  • Pitch 3 = Torii Hunter ... the 90 MPH cutter/slider right onto the black for a called K (snake-tongue vs splitter)
  • Pitch 4 = Fryer goes to his "pepper swing," zero load, and still can't catch up to a 96 fastball (0:27 seconds)
  • Pitch 5 = The LH Polanco gets a "spikeball" that starts in the zone and swerves 1 foot off the end of his bat (0:37)
  • Pitch 5 = Note the sequence was, fastball-hook-fastball-WHOOOOOOPS swerveball

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And like that.  Note at the 1:15 mark, the twin nukings of Joe Mauer and then Eddie Rosario on curves that started in the zone and rolled off the table.  On the night, 23 Convincing Curves, 16 Strikes, and one Twink-i-fied trade deadline offense.

After the game, Jen Mueller asked Taijuan what was going on.  He said, "We got some curve balls early and it kept them off balance."  Always nice to know that the athletes are hip to SSI.  ..... 

After the game, somebody asked McClendon about the breaking pitches (which he has been counseling against, in favor of the extra strikes a rookie can get with fastballs).  He allowed, "Listen, sometimes he has a nice feel for the curve ... sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't.  [sic - Dr. D.  Most nights he'd been allowed to throw 3 curve balls total.] ... when a kid like that can throw four pitches when he wants, 96-97 doesn't hurt ... it's going to be a long night.  He'll throw some clunkers.  But you saw; he's going to be special."  Or roughly that.

It was every blinkin' inch a Pedro Martinez performance.  Your question, as SSI denizen, is how long until the next one.

Be Afraid,

Dr D

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PS Taijuan only threw 5 cutters/sliders.  Standing O.  That's the proper role for his cutter, to fan three righties a game on the outside edge.  Fastball-curve-change, in that order, we talkin' Pedro.

Blog: 

Comments

1

I didn't realize it was a 1 hitter until about the 7th because I was dual watching with the Blue Jays game on MLB.TV.

He was so automatic that I had to double check who was pitching!

4

It would have been an 11-strikeout no-hitter and woulda got 5 minutes on SportsCenter.  :- )   Few balls hit well other than that one.

The James Game Score was 91 on it.  The dazzle factor was 98; it's really something to watch a located 97 MPH fastball thrown three feet past the hitter.  Reminded you of Pineda.

5

1.  He used the change to RHB's.  Loved it.

2.  When he paints the black with the heater, lefties have to get the bat going way early...then comes the change, low and away but looking like a FB strike.  

3.  He threw 3 straight changes to ring one batter up.  Hot Durn!  

4.  Zunino knows this kid.  He gets him.  Did anybody see a shake off last night?  I don't remember one.

5.  I love the way he interviews.  

6.  Last night was maybe the highlight of the season for me.  Ooooo-la-la! 

6

Ok, if you compare the best/most efficient starts in Felix's career to the game Walker threw last night, you aren't finding any difference.  Basically Walker was as good last night as Felix has ever been in any COMPLETE GAME start, except (perhaps...jsut perhaps) for Felix's El Perfecto.

These 6 CG's are likely the best complete game performances of Felix's career:  Innings-Hits-BB's-K's-Pitch Count-Strikes-Line Drives:  The last game listed is Walker's from last night.

June 11, '06:  9-4-0-9-94-73-1

Aug. 28, '06:  9-5-0-4-95-70-3

Apr. 11, '07:  9-1-2-6-111-69-1

Aug.  4, '12:   9-2-2-6-101-69-4

Aug. 15, '12:  9-0-0-12-113-77-2

Aug. 27, '12:  9-5-1-5-100-69-2

Taijuan"s gem 9-1-1-11-101-77-1

Three of Felix's 6 best CG starts came in a single month, August of '12.  Wow!  

In the first game on that Felix list, he gave up two ER's.  

Walker's performance last night was as dominating AND efficient as any CG in Felix's career, minus his perfect game.  And to tell you the truth....it wasn't very far behind that game.  Felix gave up two LD's in the Perfecto, Taijuan gave up a tater and one LD last night.  OK...he had that BB, too.  What a hack....

When Bosio threw his 97 pitch N0-No in '93, he walked 2, K'ed just 4, threw 59 strikes and gave up 3 LD's.  Walker's game was better.

I should look at Felix's 8-inning wonders, too....but I'm not going to.

Moyer's best was likely on June 2nd, '06.  (9 innings, 2 hits, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 2 LD's, 93 pitches, 57 strikes.

In Randy Johnson's no hitter, he walked 6, K'ed 8, allowed just 1 LD, but threw 138 pitches, 88 for strikes.  He actually threw a 1-hitter in '91 that was better:  3 BB's and 12 K's.  Agaiin 138 Pitches with 87 for strikes w/1 LD.  In Sept of '92 he was even better yet.  9 innings, 1 run (unearned), 1 hit, 1 BB, 15 K's, 115 pitches, 79 strikes.  He had a game very much like that in May of '93 (shutout, 1 hit) where he walked 3 and K'ed 14...but he threw 123 pitches.

You get the idea...and clearly we could split hairs, but in the history of Mariner CG efforts, looking at BOTH dominance and efficiency, Walker's effort last night was one of the handful of best in team history.

And you were there (figuratively)!

May there be many more!

Moe

7

And the stats are going to look like that because the GAME looked like that.  I mean, 24 called balls?  He tore them limb from limb WHILE going right into their hitting areas virtually every pitch.

24 called balls in a CG:  that's < 3 per inning.  Even ONE inning with 2 called balls is impressive, much less to string 9 such innings.

Pedro would do that.  He didn't expand the strike zone at all; he just changed speeds and spots within the strike zone.  Seemed every batter started 0-2.

:: daps ::

9

In his last 12 starts (which coincides with he and Zunino picking up the pace, I think) he's given up 1 or less runs 6 times.  He's allowed 2 or less hits 3 times.  He's K'ed 82 and walked 8 in 78.2 innings.  7-2 record.

Whew......

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