In two words? Rick Diculous.
I thought it couldn't get any better than Ricky Romero's 12-strikeout performance back on April 13th against the Chicago White Sox. Boy, was I wrong.
RR Cool Jay turned out the best start of his young career: a complete game, five hit shutout performance.
Somewhere, Roy Halladay is smiling.
Romero was dialed in from first to last pitch, feeding the Texas Rangers a steady diet of changeups all afternoon. Of his 12 strikeouts, nine were via the changeup (strikeout data below).
| Strikeout Victim | Pitch Type | Situation |
|---|---|---|
| M.Young | Changeup | 1-2 Count |
| J. Hamilton | Changeup | 0-2 Count |
| V. Guerrero | Changeup | 1-2 Count |
| M. Trenor | Changeup | 0-2 Count |
| E. Andrus | Changeup | 3-2 Count |
| M. Young | Changeup | 1-2 Count |
| J. Hamilton | Changeup | 2-2 Count |
| A. Blanco | Curveball | 0-2 Count |
| J.Hamilton | Fastball | 1-2 Count |
| N. Cruz | Curveball | 2-2 Count |
| M. Young | Changeup | 0-2 Count |
| J. Hamilton | Changeup | 0-2 Count |
One of the most incredible stats of the game which you won't see on the boxscore (courtesy of Jordan Bastian), Romero threw one ball or fewer to 24 of the 32 batters he faced.
Ricky did an incredible job of getting ahead in the count, and one he had two strikes on the hitter, it was basically over. The Rangers swung over top of the changeup the entire game, and that's why they only collected five hits, all for singles.
Congratulations to Ricky Romero on one of, if not the best pitching performance by a Blue Jays starter this season.
I just hope I'm there when he throws his first no-hitter. And that he's a Blue Jay when it happens, because it will.
ReplyDeleteGreat recap - love the one ball or fewer stat - and the use of fewer instead of less.
ReplyDeleteAnon, out of all the pitchers on the staff right now, I would say that Romero has the highest probability of throwing a no-hitter. Marcum comes a close second, but he can't seem to go as deep into games as Romero can. If it ever happens, it will be quite a sight!
ReplyDeleteRestaunique, it's definitely a telltale sign of the game for Romero. Because he kept command of the strike zone and didn't get deep into counts, he always had the opportunity to throw his offspeed pitches. What a game!
Isn't a golden sombrerofive strikeouts or is it striking out every at bat in one game?
ReplyDeleteMattt, I think striking out five times in a game is a platinum sombrero (otherwise known as the "Who Gives A F*ck Alex Rios Night").
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. Not sure why I temporarily forgot the golden sombrero stats. Saw a couple more regular sombreros today...
ReplyDeleteYes! Can't recall both of them off the top of my head, but Cruz was one of them. Hamilton also struck out a couple times and looked really bad this series.
ReplyDeleteRick Diculous
ReplyDeleteLove that!