Yordano Ventura dominated against the Angels
Royals starting pitcher Yordano Ventura isn’t exactly a household name… yet. But the flamethrower made some strides last night with a strong performance against the Angels.
Yordano Ventura is still relatively unknown to casual baseball fans, but last night’s performance might have been a huge wake-up call for anyone who isn’t yet familiar with him.
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Ventura went 7 strong innings against a dangerous Angels lineup, holding them to only 5 hits and 1 run. He didn’t get the win, thanks to some stellar pitching on the other side by Matt Shoemaker, but Ventura was praised by his teammates for keeping them in a game that was eventually decided in 10 innings.
“He put us on his back, to be honest with you,” said KC outfielder Jarrod Dyson, who went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter for Nori Aoki.
It has been a season of ups and downs for Ventura, who was a highly touted prospect coming into this year. His fastball routinely hits triple digits on the radar gun, and he leads all MLB starters in average pitch MPH.
He went 14-10 this year with a 3.20 ERA, striking out 159 batters in 183 innings. Next year, with James Shields hitting free agency, he’s likely to be considered the ace of the Royals’ staff, and expectations will be higher than ever.
After seeing how he performed on his biggest stage yet, it’s easy to see why the Royals are confident in their young righty. He struggled out of the bullpen in the Wild Card play-in game against the Athletics, but he bounced back strong last night and made fans forget all about that dud.
Keep an eye on Ventura. He might end up being one of the best pitchers in the American League, and a big reason why the Royals might remain playoff contenders beyond 2014.
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