Remember I mentioned our rookie Paddack? Today we got a glimpse. Facing Mariners’ Felix Hernandez on the opposing mound and the hottest set of bats in baseball at the moment, you’d think he’d have butterflies. Well, he did, A walk, a hit, a hit batter and he was in deep stuff in the 1st inning. He sucked it up and gained command, his mid 90’s fastball painting the corners with high movement mixed with a befuddling curve, walking off the mound in the 7th inning to a standing O from the fans and his teammates with that hit the only one as well as that walk, retiring the next 10 consecutive batters with 7 k’s mixed in.
After the game, Hernandez, a Cy Young winner and perennial all star had one word, “Impressive”. He made one mistake in the 1st himself, and hung one up in the eyes of Kinsler that promptly left the yard. That was it for scoring. Paddack’s glove has Relentless stitched on it. He was all of that. 1-0 Padres, a one-hitter and the kid’s 1st win. There will be plenty more, but this was a gem!
We’re having fun.
Rick