The St. Louis Cardinals may have lost last night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, 7-4. But, all of the hubbub afterward was focused on one guy – a 21-year-old from New Jersey.
Not since the late Oscar Taveras have the Cardinals had a prospect as highly publicized as Alex Reyes. And, just like Taveras delivered with a homerun in his major league debut, Reyes delivered heat from the pitching mound.
The Cards were already losing when he made his appearance. The elongated eighth inning gave the new reliever a chance to warm-up without any rush. And, when Reyes entered the game in the ninth inning, he did so to a standing ovation. The 6-foot-3 right-hander rewarded the fans still in attendance with a clean frame, sitting down the Reds one-two-three.
And, in the process, he gave the fans what they wanted to see. People had heard of his ability to light up a radar gun, but they had not seen it.
Reyes recorded his first career strikeout against the first batter he faced. And, he did so with an exclamation mark. He blew a 101 miles-per-hour fastball passed Adam Duvall for the final strike. It was fastest pitch any Cardinals’ hurler has thrown this season and it was not the only 101-mph pitch he threw that inning. After two successive groundball outs, Reyes exited the inning. And, again with the fans rose to their feet.
He had pin-point accuracy – something that had plagued the young right-hander in the minor leagues – flipping curveballs in the strike zone. He tossed just 11 pitches, eight of those for strikes and settled the butterflies, remaining in control.
Beyond Reyes’ performance, part of his major league debut success can be attributed to his battery-mate, Yadier Molina. The eight-time gold glove winner does his homework on the opposition. And, three-time All-Star Adam Wainwright consistently gives his teammate praise.
The pitcher-catcher marriage is an important relationship in baseball. And, having that confidence in the catcher looms large for a pitcher. Reyes’ trust in Molina will carry that duo far. And, that is where Reyes’ natural ability can take over.
Last night was probably not the only standing ovation Reyes will receive in his career.
Spencer Gleason is a staff writer at Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter.
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