Last night was the reason they acquired him. Last night we all saw what Nathan Eovaldi is capable of. No-hit stuff against a formidable lineup – on the road no less.
Was it the fact that Eovaldi is from Alvin, TX – the same place Nolan Ryan grew up? Was he motivated to go out and try to follow in the footsteps of his boyhood idol who tossed seven career no-hitters? Or was it because Eovaldi was unpredictable on the mound? He didn’t fall into any patterns – he attacked the strike zone and challenged hitters.
He put guys away with two strikes. For a guy who can throw it upwards of 99 mph, this was great to see. In his previous starts, Eovaldi would get to two strikes and nibble until he had to come in with a fastball, and the hitter would be ready.
Yes, the Rangers are a free-swinging team, but one at-bat stood out to me last night. In the third inning against Elvis Andrus, Eovaldi started him off with two fastball strikes. He then went up and in on Andrus with the heat, causing him to hit the deck. It wasn’t near his head, it wasn’t a dangerous pitch. It was in enough to move the batter’s feet.
This is such a simple tactic in pitching, but it’s so important. So what did Eovaldi do next? He threw a devastating splitter outside in the dirt, and Andrus had absolutely zero chance.
THAT is what I want to see from Eovaldi. Aggressiveness, purpose pitches, making guys uncomfortable. I think Mark Teixeira said it best last night in his postgame interview. “A guy that throws 97-100 miles per hour with a good splitter and good curveball. That’s number one stuff and he showed it tonight.”
Yes! Number one stuff! That’s the potential Eovaldi has. If you just look at raw stuff, he might have the best in all of baseball. He just needs to learn how to pitch consistently and not just throw. There’s a big difference.
Eovaldi even earned praise from the opponent. Prince Fielder was impressed by his outing. “Eovaldi was amazing. If you hold a big league team without a hit into the seventh, you’re doing something right.”
If I were Eovaldi, I’d take video of this game with me everywhere I go to remind myself what it was like to go out there and dominate. Will the same pitch selections work against every team? No. That’s why its a game of adjustments. But last night should serve as a template on how to pitch. Attack the zone, be aggressive, throw purpose-pitches to set guys up, and finish them with two-strikes.
What made Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada so successful and revered was the fact that they were consistent year in and year out. Consistency is such a major thing to have in sports.
If Eovaldi can find that and reach his full potential at the same time, watch out. Last night showed us a glimpse of what’s possible.
