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You know it, you love it, you ... you seem to prefer it lately to the actual Mariners.  Can't blame you.  But if you missed Friday night's Taijuan Storm, you missed a t'ing o' beauty.

SSI has grokked that you could 'sense the storm looming' on this kid.  Friday, it broke on the Twins' lighthouse with Category V force.  ... Is what happened was, before his last outing (ca. last Sunday) Robinson Cano had finally walked up to Taijuan and said, Kid, you're going to have to throw some curve balls.  Taijuan threw 24 of them and figured out --- > that they work good.

Friday night, Taijuan went to them early and in a convincing way.  It's one thing for a rookie to bloop a curve in there that misses, or that happens to float over the case for a strike.  Then he looks in, "Didja see that?  You gotta respect my curve, man."  Um, no.  "Show me" curve balls are not going to draw an ML hitter's attention away from 96 MPH gas.

Taijuan, in contrast to that, flung his first curve ball up to Miguel Sano in the 1st inning -- first pitch, 0-0 count -- with the air of Felix throwing a changeup.  It started out a strike, finished up a strike, and was called a strike.  Two batters later to Eddie Rosario, another 1st-pitch hook, 74 MPH, dropped in at the knees like Russell Wilson looping a zig-out to Jermaine Kearse.  Very next hitter, Eduardo Nunez, yet another 1st-pitch change curve, dropped in right at the knees again.  Here, let's check out the location, because he threw at least 12 to exactly this spot:

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Taijuan's hook

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THAT will draw an ML hitter's attention, because it is embarrassing to him.  Now, then, he's got to see the ball before he starts his swing.  Now, then, a dominating fastball dominates.

After that "convincing curve" to Rosario, Taijuan's fastball looked 107 MPH.  ... and as we've conceded (conceited?) since about May 1, Taijuan actually does have remarkable command of his fastball now.  So the Twinkies were in deep, deeeeeep doo-doo from inning two on.

Here's the video, if you want to wallow in Taijuan's future hunnerd million:

• Pitch 1 = a 3-2 changeup (!) drops under Hicks' bat for the whuff
• Pitch 2 = 96 MPH fastball blows their cleanup hitter down on 0-2 (curve, change, gas, 3 pitches siddown)
• Pitch 3 = Torii Hunter ... the 90 MPH cutter/slider right onto the black for a called K (snake-tongue vs splitter)
• Pitch 4 = Fryer goes to his "pepper swing," zero load, and still can't catch up to a 96 fastball (0:27 seconds)
• Pitch 5 = The LH Polanco gets a "spikeball" that starts in the zone and swerves 1 foot off the end of his bat (0:37)
• Pitch 5 = Note the sequence was, fastball-hook-fastball-WHOOOOOOPS swerveball

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And like that.  Note at the 1:15 mark, the twin nukings of Joe Mauer and then Eddie Rosario on curves that started in the zone and rolled off the table.  On the night, 23 Convincing Curves, 16 Strikes, and one Twink-i-fied trade deadline offense.

After the game, Jen Mueller asked Taijuan what was going on.  He said, "We got some curve balls early and it kept them off balance."  Always nice to know that the athletes are hip to SSI.  ..... 

After the game, somebody asked McClendon about the breaking pitches (which he has been counseling against, in favor of the extra strikes a rookie can get with fastballs).  He allowed, "Listen, sometimes he has a nice feel for the curve ... sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't.  [sic - Dr. D.  Most nights he'd been allowed to throw 3 curve balls total.] ... when a kid like that can throw four pitches when he wants, 96-97 doesn't hurt ... it's going to be a long night.  He'll throw some clunkers.  But you saw; he's going to be special."  Or roughly that.

It was every blinkin' inch a Pedro Martinez performance.  Your question, as SSI denizen, is how long until the next one.

Be Afraid,

Dr D

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PS Taijuan only threw 5 cutters/sliders.  Standing O.  That's the proper role for his cutter, to fan three righties a game on the outside edge.  Fastball-curve-change, in that order, we talkin' Pedro.