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D'backs ace Webb needs only one pitch to dominate
One pitch. It is arguably the filthiest pitch in baseball. Brandon Webb's
devastating sinker dives like a swimmer off a high board. Like Mariano Rivera
and his cutter, Barry Zito and his curve and Brad Lidge and his slider, Webb
relies almost exclusively on it to dominate.
The testimonials:
"His sinker is the best in baseball, period," says Giants catcher Mike Matheny.
"It's so good, he could probably get by an entire game just throwing that
pitch. It's that good."
Says Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux, "Webb's sinker definitely is one of the best.
He gets lots of grounders, and [Bank One Ballpark] is a tough park to pitch in
."
"His sinker is sick," says Twins center fielder Torii Hunter. "Good luck."
A big, strong country boy from small-town Kentucky, Webb talks slowly and
softly, with a delicate Southern drawl. His pregame ritual before every home
start: eggs and pancakes at IHOP. Affable and unassuming, a connoisseur of
Will Ferrell movies, he is an assassin on the mound, and through the first
two months of the season, the 27-year-old ace of the Diamondbacks has been --
hands down -- the best pitcher in the National League.
Webb leads the league in wins (8-0), ERA (2.18, complete games (two) and
innings pitched (82 2/3). Of course, the sinker has been the key -- Webb has
thrown it more than 75 percent of the time and has recorded 81.1 percent of
his outs on grounders -- but there are two big reasons Webb is more effective
than ever:
1. Arizona's improved defense
Two years ago the right-hander led the league in losses (16) and walks (119 in
208 innings). With a leaky defense behind him, Webb was reluctant to rely
heavily on his sinker and let his fielders work. This season Arizona's vastly
improved defense leads the league in fielding percentage. New second baseman
Orlando Hudson, a Gold Glove winner in Toronto, and shortstop Craig Counsell
had committed five errors, the fewest by a middle-infield combination in the
majors. Chad Tracy is much improved at third base; after committing 25 errors
in '04, he has committed four so far this year. As a result, Webb is pitching
aggressively.
2. Webb's curveball
Webb still uses his curve -- his second-best pitch -- sparingly (he's thrown
it 11 percent of the time this season), but he spent the winter refining it,
and the pitch is as good as ever. Says Webb, "I've been able to throw it for
strikes. To come out with a first-pitch curveball for a strike is huge for me
because people know that the sinker is coming."
Says a scout, "I think he kind of went through a tough thing [in 2004] in
terms of how much does he use his other pitches. He's got a good curve, a
good change, but every time he got beat with those, it was like, Why aren't
you using your sinker? He went round and round with that. His command was off
for a while, but now that command is so good it's just a plus to have a curve
and change."
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※ 編輯: Rioss 來自: 219.70.17.38 (05/31 20:06)