MLB Fri, Jul 29, 2005
Cubs start rookie pitcher with secret weapon
Julian Dickinson
Rich Hill got the call.
Dusty Baker didn’t make up his mind about who would take Kerry Wood`s spot in the Chicago Cubs’ starting rotation until Wednesday night. That left Hill with just two days to let the reality sink in: he will replace one of baseball’s best pitchers this Saturday against the Diamondbacks and probably continue the job as the Cubs try to seize the National League wild card down the stretch.
Wood’s ongoing injury problems convinced team officials to move the right-hander to the bullpen when his shoulder is healthy enough to throw again, leaving Hill to fill the void in the rotation.
That’s a heaping pile of pressure for a kid who’s got a grand total of one career big league start under his belt.
But there’s a bluster of hype blowing through the windy city about Hill’s promising talents. The 25-year-old leftie breezed through Chicago’s minor league system, starting in Double-A West Tennessee and moving to Triple-A Iowa before making the leap to the big club for the first time on Monday.
In his first career start, Hill pitched five solid innings, allowing two runs on five hits. His biggest weapon is an absolutely sickening curveball that should leave batters reaching for the Pepto Bismol. His curve is the biggest reason he leads the Southern League in strikeouts, despite not playing there since May.
His curve is so filthy, in fact, it was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Monday night, when the show featured a split-screen sequence comparing it with that of Oakland’s Barry Zito.
"I haven`t seen it yet," Hill said, laughing. "Was mine a little better? I threw a few pretty good ones last night.”
He also showed decent control of his fastball, which was the Cubs’ only concern about him coming into the game. The Cubs won the game 3-2 against San Francisco as +120 underdogs.
The curve could be an effective weapon against the Arizona batters who haven’t yet gotten a look at it. But Hill better hope that all the attention on the pitch won’t ruin the surprise. He even explained his strategy in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.
"A fastball up or low and away," he said. "Make `em chase it because the curveball has that big drop. I guess for a hitter, if they see something down, it`s not going to come up. But if they see it up, they think `fastball up, but it could be a curveball, so I have to swing,` and then it`s too late.
"That`s the key for anybody, [throwing] side-to-side, in-and-out, front-and-back, up-and-down. You work all the planes. My fastball and curveball I think complement each other pretty well."
The Cubs are listed as -144 favorites this afternoon against the Diamondbacks
Cubs start rookie pitcher with secret weapon
Julian Dickinson
Rich Hill got the call.
Dusty Baker didn’t make up his mind about who would take Kerry Wood`s spot in the Chicago Cubs’ starting rotation until Wednesday night. That left Hill with just two days to let the reality sink in: he will replace one of baseball’s best pitchers this Saturday against the Diamondbacks and probably continue the job as the Cubs try to seize the National League wild card down the stretch.
Wood’s ongoing injury problems convinced team officials to move the right-hander to the bullpen when his shoulder is healthy enough to throw again, leaving Hill to fill the void in the rotation.
That’s a heaping pile of pressure for a kid who’s got a grand total of one career big league start under his belt.
But there’s a bluster of hype blowing through the windy city about Hill’s promising talents. The 25-year-old leftie breezed through Chicago’s minor league system, starting in Double-A West Tennessee and moving to Triple-A Iowa before making the leap to the big club for the first time on Monday.
In his first career start, Hill pitched five solid innings, allowing two runs on five hits. His biggest weapon is an absolutely sickening curveball that should leave batters reaching for the Pepto Bismol. His curve is the biggest reason he leads the Southern League in strikeouts, despite not playing there since May.
His curve is so filthy, in fact, it was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Monday night, when the show featured a split-screen sequence comparing it with that of Oakland’s Barry Zito.
"I haven`t seen it yet," Hill said, laughing. "Was mine a little better? I threw a few pretty good ones last night.”
He also showed decent control of his fastball, which was the Cubs’ only concern about him coming into the game. The Cubs won the game 3-2 against San Francisco as +120 underdogs.
The curve could be an effective weapon against the Arizona batters who haven’t yet gotten a look at it. But Hill better hope that all the attention on the pitch won’t ruin the surprise. He even explained his strategy in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.
"A fastball up or low and away," he said. "Make `em chase it because the curveball has that big drop. I guess for a hitter, if they see something down, it`s not going to come up. But if they see it up, they think `fastball up, but it could be a curveball, so I have to swing,` and then it`s too late.
"That`s the key for anybody, [throwing] side-to-side, in-and-out, front-and-back, up-and-down. You work all the planes. My fastball and curveball I think complement each other pretty well."
The Cubs are listed as -144 favorites this afternoon against the Diamondbacks
