Money pitch, money pitcher
=== Batterrrrr Rup, Chone Figgins ===
Sept. 1, 2009.
Fister came out and started the ballgame against a red-hot lineup that had crushed French and the M's, 10-0, the night before.
He threw the first two pitches to Chone Figgins Right! On! the Black!, one at the top of the zone, the other at the bottom -- and the ump smirkingly called them both balls. 2-0. As if to say, you're going to have to give these guys the ball where they want it, rook.
As a catcher once told the young Ron Luciano after two such pitches, "Look, you're going to have to give me either the high one or the low one, or we're going to be here all night," whereupon Luciano called everything close the rest of his career...
Two pitches in, and Dr. D is irate.
We're half planning our R.I.P. column for the night's ballgame, because we've seen sooooo many of these ballgames in the tank early. Rookie pitchers have enough to handle, without facing the best lineup in the league (right now) and the ump waving pom-pom's for them.
.................
Doogie centered the next one, at 89, for 2-1. Risked a "gimme" against a guy without much power. Excellent awareness.
The fourth pitch was maybe four inches high, so that's an easy call against the rook, 3-1.
Then Figgins walked on six pitches. So, 10-0 the night before, leadoff man on, the Angels breathing fire. Already the Mariners, with Olson or Silva starting the game, are on the ropes.
.
=== Two Hitter, Abreu ===
Against Bobby Abreu, Fister starts with a fastball that the Tracker says is 2" inside the zone. 1-0 count, rook.
You have to understand the synergy here between the ump and the Angels' dugout. The stars, the pennant contenders, are wearing red, and the ump isn't going to let the rook run away from the Big Dogs. Gotta face the music, rook. That's the umpire's attitude.
......................
Fister actually misses with the next pitch, so 2-0 again. In the booth, Dave Niehaus is all over Doug Fister, making comment after comment about how hard it is for AAA pitchers to find the guts to pitch in the big leagues. siiiigggghhhhhhhh.... Mike Blowers very gently tries to slow Dave down a little bit.
......................
Fister throws over to 1B several times, showing calm awareness of the Angels' running game, while dealing with the lefty Abreu.
Throwing to first cuts the SB% by over 10%, and throwing 3 times cuts it more than that. Later in the inning, Figgins will be thrown out!
.......................
On 2-0, Fister centers a "gimme" strike ...
And then on 2-1, already a game-defining pitch. 2-1 count, lefty Abreu, man on first, dangerous inning ... Fister tubes a 2-1 changeup that locks up Abreu. There's the bread-and-butter pitch that separates Fister from a thousand PCL pitchers.
Jack Nicklaus once said that the thing that separates PGA Tour players, from 0-handicappers, is that Tour players can execute outstanding shots at will. Doogie racks up the 2-2 strike on Abreu easily.
........................
On 2-2, Fister throws an 88 fastball that nicks the very inside edge of the zone on Abreu. I am here to tell you that if Jered Weaver throws that pitch to Ichiro, it is called strike three All. Night. Long.
The ump jobs Fister yet again.
3-2, can't possibly risk a walk and 2 on, 0 out. Yet Abreu will be only too happy to splash the fences on this one. Doogie goes to his money pitch, the change, getting a lot of the plate. Abreu awkwardly fouls it off.
3-2 again, can't throw the change this time because of the foul ball... Fister throws the change again!! and Abreu swings through it.
Figgins, with a poor jump, is thrown out at second base. Strike-'em-out, throw-em-out double play. Fister is never in a scary situation again.
.
=== Fourth Inning ===
By the fourth, the ump is not only giving Fister the black, he is giving him a couple of inches more. On Vlad Guerrero, Doogie starts with a change and Guerrero wrenches his back :- ) swinging through it.
The next pitch is telling: an 89-mph four-seam FB that is a good four inches outside. The ump calls the strike, with gusto. Vlad steps out of the box, smiling and shaking his head.
Took Doogie all of two innings to convert the ump. That's major league baseball for a rookie who has It.
Cheers,
Dr D