作者xiemark (aisinjuro)
看板CMWang
標題[討論] Wang & Webb
時間Tue Apr 29 21:28:54 2008
http://passtheword.wordpress.com/2008/04/28/sinkerballers-baseballs-new-power-pitchers/
Sinkerballers: Baseball’s New “Power” Pitchers
Wang
Maybe it’s the Clemens Curse, but something’s happening to the
power-pitching ace since the man who’s name was synonymous with the term
turned up in the Mitchell report over the winter. Two guys who fit the
rocket-arm mold - Barry Zito and C.C. Sabathia - can’t seem to throw
strikes, get people out or win.
Just a month into the season, the 2002 and 2007 Cy Young winners,
respectively, are a combined 1-10, with Zito at -06 for the first time in
his career.
They’ve been replaced at the top of the rotation by the kind of guys who
throw pitches that not so much blow by hitters as elude them. Sinkerballs
Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees and Diamondback hurler Branden Webb are
11-0 between them, and they’re doing it by baffling hitters with stuff
that dips, slides and moves all over the place.
Note: Any implied correlation between the shocking declines of Zito and
Sabathia and Clemens/Mitchell is for entertainment purposes only. Though
Zito was also mediocre last season (11-13), they are both outstanding
pitchers whose woeful records could very well be turned around by fall.
In the meantime, I’m getting a kick out of Webb and Wang, the law-firm
sounding pair who’ve quietly emerged as the standards of the early
season.
Webb was 34-18 in ‘06 and ‘07. In 2003, he was baseball’s wildman. He
threw 17 wild pitches and walked 199 batters, more than any other player
in the majors. He also led the NL with 16 losses that year. The turnaround
was attributed to anything magical.”Basically, I just tried to do what I
’ve done the last three years, which is throw a lot of sinkers,” Webb
said. Just keep throwing them until he got it right.
Wang has pretty much been an “ace” since his second season in the
majors. He was 19-6 in ‘06, 19-7 in ‘07 (if he’s 19-8 in ‘08, I’m
calling the authorities). In fact, he reached 50 wins faster than any
pither over the last 25 years.
But because he doesn’t throw peas, and does get a lot of strikeouts, he
was never really perceived in New York as an “ace” in the traditional
sense. That iconic tag was reserved for manly-men pitchers, guys like
Clemens and his ex-BFF, Andy Pettitte.
Yeah, close your eyes and think ace and images of Bib Gibson, Sandy Koufax
and Vida Blue come to mind. So do Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan and Dwight
Good. Or Pedro Martinez in his prime. Guys who throw smoke and turn bats
into toothpicks.
Chien-Ming Wang isn’t that guy, and even as he was winning 19 games in
successive seasons it was as if Yankee fans still flt he wasn’t the team
’s “ace
Maybe it’s his demeanor. Though Wang stands 6-3 and weighs 225, imposing
he is not. He nature is calm, typically unruffled. Not “ace-like.”
Somehow I can’t see Wang tossing a broken bat at a hitter he’d just
thumped, as he glared at the batter as if he wanted to eat his young.
This year, Wang has expanded his repertoire after seeing last season what
can happen when the sinker doesn’t sink. (Search: Wang, Cleveland and
playoffs). He’s added sliders, splitters and chanegups to the mix, and it
’s almost not fair.
Batters aren’t quaking as if they’re facing someone who could throw the
ball through them; they’re just confused, baffled, befuddled.
On Sunday, in a battle against Sabathia and the Indians, Wang allowed only
two batters beyong first base over his final six innings, after allowing
two runners in the first.
All told, he gave up just four hits and struck out nine over seven innings
in the Yankee’s 1-0 win. He’s now 5-0.
That same day, Webb outdueled the reigning NL Cy Young winner, Jake Peavy
of San Diego. He gave up just one unearned over six innings to improve to
6-0 and lower his ERA to 1.98 - sixth-best in all of baseball.
Webb
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推 Cathay:應該是119保送吧 199會嚇死人 04/29 21:59
推 derekhsu:兩個伸卡投手佔據兩聯盟勝投榜,同天擊敗賽揚名投 04/29 22:00
推 nju4ru8:伸卡球要成為顯學了嗎 04/29 22:33
推 airplanes:話說Webb本身也內建三振模式 伸卡只是他拿手之一 04/29 22:35
→ elido:也是他最為人稱道的第一球種啦 04/29 22:55