After a thirteen day layoff, punctuated by a scratched start due to neck convulsions, Yusei Kikuchi took the mound versus future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. Despite Kikuchis noteworthy rust, it was shaping up to be quite the pitchers duel in between Kikuchi and Kershaw. That is, up until home plate umpire Adrian Johnson signed up with the fray in the third inning.
After an Enrique Hernandez single and Matt Barnes walk, the Dodgers were threatening without any outs and runners on first and second. Kikuchi got ahead to an 0-2 count and tossed in a cutter at the bottom of the zone:
Oof. That looks a horrible lot like a strike. In fairness, the on-screen strike zones arent always entirely precise. however. What state, you, Baseball Savant?
Its not the most outright call ever, but it looks like Beaty got away with what ought to have been a called third strike. Beaty then continues to fight back into a 2-2 count, and Kikuchi relies on his slider to put him away:
Beaty starts walking away from the plate, provided he swung through a slider in a two-strike count, but Adrian Johnson calls a foul idea.
Here it is again, this time, in slo-mo:
Add in a couple of messed up calls, and youre probably toast. What if we could make Kikuchis very first game back as strenuous as possible?
It was decidedly not a nasty idea, and works as the second pitch that must have put Beaty away. After getting away with a missed out on called third strike and what can only be explained as a small crime, Beaty receives a middle-middle cutter, which he turns on to plate a run.
Joseph Odom requires, with a passed ball:
Hernandez comes in to score from third, and Beaty moves over to third. The Mariners are still reeling from the results of Johnsons missed out on calls. Since of Beatys existence on third, the Mariners are forced to play their infield in, and AJ Pollock pokes an RBI single through the left side thats probably not a hit if the infield remains in their typical positioning.
Kikuchi should have a lot much better this video game. And hello, possibly his numbers look different and he makes the essential modifications if he wasnt left out to rot for lots of pitches due to a few iffy calls.
Regardless, the 3rd inning certainly wrecked any chance the Mariners had at winning:
It wasnt all bad, though. Ljay Newsome made his debut, and he appeared like a pitcher who will be a factor in some regard at the significant league level.
In any case, versus the Dodgers, youre not afforded any wiggle room. When youve got Sam Haggerty atop your lineup, at least not. Kershaw? He does not require this cushion. He went on to travel 7.0 innings, starting out 11 players, with his only miscue being a home run to the revitalized Kyle Seager.
Here he is, looking exceptionally sweaty:
knees weak, arms are heavy
He didnt appear like the pitcher who had one of the most elite K/BB ratios in the small leagues in 2019, but body fluids notwithstanding, Newsome definitely looked the part of a big league pitcher. He threw his fastball for strikes, blended in a fringe changeup, and showed off a curveball that appears like it could be a plus offering. Paired with his fastball thats hes weaponized in the past, you can see why he overwhelmed players in the minors last year.
Here he is, blowing by Barnes with a 2-2 fastball:
After a thirteen day layoff, punctuated by a scratched start due to neck convulsions, Yusei Kikuchi took the mound versus future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. Despite Kikuchis noteworthy rust, it was forming up to be rather the pitchers duel between Kikuchi and Kershaw. What if we could make Kikuchis first game back as arduous as possible? Hernandez comes in to score from third, and Beaty moves over to 3rd. Kikuchi deserved a lot much better this video game.
Not precisely overpowering by velocity, however a lot of trip on that fastball, whichs going to play– specifically up in the zone.
A lot of enjoyable, a lot of skill, and a lot of ugly. At the very least, we got to witness Kershaw continue to defy his declining velocity and peripherals. Plus, with this one, we get to go to bed on time.
