Horoscopes and King Nasty
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Now pleasure. I went to my first live Mariners' game of the season last night. Had to see Felix Hernandez's first start of the year. If you haven't heard of this guy, check it out. He's the hottest pitching prospect to come along in years... some would say decades. In all fairness I'd argue that he's the biggest TEENAGE prospect in decades, probably since Doc Gooden. Those two guys for the Cubs were plenty hyped, but not til they were in their early 20s. Here's hoping the careers of those three guys aren't any indication of what the future holds for young Senor Hernandez.
His nickname is King Felix, but I've taken it upon myself to dub him "King Nasty" instead. Cause this kid is NASTY. 19 years old, with a fastball approaching 100mph (some have clocked him above that but I've seen him in person five times now and he's gotten as high as 97-98), a mid 80s change-up, and a 12-6 curveball that makes big league hitters look absolutely stupid. AND he's got pinpoint control of all three pitches, solid mental makeup, buckles down with men on base... all the cliches are true in this case.
(Quick aside: 12-6 refers to the face of a clock that is metaphorically superimposed in front of the hitter; as in, the 12 is around his armpits and the 6 his knees. A 12-6 curve is one that starts around the shoulders and, at a certain point, breaks straight down and crosses the bottom of the strike zone, around the hitter's knees.)
Anyways, it's definitely an event every time this kid pitches. And it seems the Ms are really developing him the right way, not letting him pitch too much and hurt himself when he's young, focusing on the near and distant future instead of the immediate moment, etc. He is clearly on a strict pitch count; he hit 99 after 5 innings last night and they took him out. They would have had a better chance to win if they'd left him in a couple more innings, but that's not the point. It was a relief to see.
I have always been a "wake me up in 80 games" baseball fan, but this year I'm already pretty amped about the Mariners. Not only is Felix always great to watch, but Ichiro is my all time favorite player. Unlike any other baseball player I've ever seen... and the new Japanese catcher, Kenji Johjima, looks like the real deal. And even though it's only been 5 games, all five starting pitchers look solid through one start... and they've been able to score some runs, too. The bullpen is going to cost them some games, definitely, which is the most painful way to lose a game (in my opinion), but I think this team is going to be fun; I don't expect them to win 90 games and make the playoffs this year, but I'm still excited.
Now pleasure. I went to my first live Mariners' game of the season last night. Had to see Felix Hernandez's first start of the year. If you haven't heard of this guy, check it out. He's the hottest pitching prospect to come along in years... some would say decades. In all fairness I'd argue that he's the biggest TEENAGE prospect in decades, probably since Doc Gooden. Those two guys for the Cubs were plenty hyped, but not til they were in their early 20s. Here's hoping the careers of those three guys aren't any indication of what the future holds for young Senor Hernandez.
His nickname is King Felix, but I've taken it upon myself to dub him "King Nasty" instead. Cause this kid is NASTY. 19 years old, with a fastball approaching 100mph (some have clocked him above that but I've seen him in person five times now and he's gotten as high as 97-98), a mid 80s change-up, and a 12-6 curveball that makes big league hitters look absolutely stupid. AND he's got pinpoint control of all three pitches, solid mental makeup, buckles down with men on base... all the cliches are true in this case.
(Quick aside: 12-6 refers to the face of a clock that is metaphorically superimposed in front of the hitter; as in, the 12 is around his armpits and the 6 his knees. A 12-6 curve is one that starts around the shoulders and, at a certain point, breaks straight down and crosses the bottom of the strike zone, around the hitter's knees.)
Anyways, it's definitely an event every time this kid pitches. And it seems the Ms are really developing him the right way, not letting him pitch too much and hurt himself when he's young, focusing on the near and distant future instead of the immediate moment, etc. He is clearly on a strict pitch count; he hit 99 after 5 innings last night and they took him out. They would have had a better chance to win if they'd left him in a couple more innings, but that's not the point. It was a relief to see.
I have always been a "wake me up in 80 games" baseball fan, but this year I'm already pretty amped about the Mariners. Not only is Felix always great to watch, but Ichiro is my all time favorite player. Unlike any other baseball player I've ever seen... and the new Japanese catcher, Kenji Johjima, looks like the real deal. And even though it's only been 5 games, all five starting pitchers look solid through one start... and they've been able to score some runs, too. The bullpen is going to cost them some games, definitely, which is the most painful way to lose a game (in my opinion), but I think this team is going to be fun; I don't expect them to win 90 games and make the playoffs this year, but I'm still excited.
posted by the_pope_of_chilitown at 1:04 AM
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