Wilber Dotel was a starting pitcher throughout his developmental rise through the organization and while pitching in relief for his third game since being promoted to the Major Leagues last week, he provided more than a glimpse of what is best stuff can be by tossing four dominant hitless innings against the Cardinals tonight in the Pirates, 4-2, loss at PNC Park.
Dotel pounded the zone, throwing 32 of his 44 pitches for strikes, and finished with three strikeouts against no walks.
"It felt good. My goal was to go hitter by hitter and just do that," said Dotel. "And that's what I was doing every inning, just concentrating on getting hitter by hitter."
Dotel’s arsenal was overpowering from the moment he stepped in. His four-seamer touched 99 and 100 mph, setting up an 88-mph slider, an 89-mph changeup and an 86-mph cutter that kept hitters guessing. He hit 101-mph on a third-inning four-seam fastball to Pedro Pages, twice hit over 100-mph.
"Actually that pitch right there, it got off a little bit, and that was the location, but it went high a little bit on that situation," said Dotel. "But yeah, every pitch on two strikes, it's a high leverage situation and the intensity is higher, for sure."
For a young pitcher, Dotel looked calm on the mound as the strikes piled up with a zero in the hit column, none of seemed to rattle the 23-year-old with two games under his belt.
"It has felt the same since day one. All I do is just control the things that I can control and stay in the moment," said Dotel. "That's it."
THE ASYLUM
Dotel dials up dominance
Wilber Dotel was a starting pitcher throughout his developmental rise through the organization and while pitching in relief for his third game since being promoted to the Major Leagues last week, he provided more than a glimpse of what is best stuff can be by tossing four dominant hitless innings against the Cardinals tonight in the Pirates, 4-2, loss at PNC Park.
Dotel pounded the zone, throwing 32 of his 44 pitches for strikes, and finished with three strikeouts against no walks.
"It felt good. My goal was to go hitter by hitter and just do that," said Dotel. "And that's what I was doing every inning, just concentrating on getting hitter by hitter."
Dotel’s arsenal was overpowering from the moment he stepped in. His four-seamer touched 99 and 100 mph, setting up an 88-mph slider, an 89-mph changeup and an 86-mph cutter that kept hitters guessing. He hit 101-mph on a third-inning four-seam fastball to Pedro Pages, twice hit over 100-mph.
"Actually that pitch right there, it got off a little bit, and that was the location, but it went high a little bit on that situation," said Dotel. "But yeah, every pitch on two strikes, it's a high leverage situation and the intensity is higher, for sure."
For a young pitcher, Dotel looked calm on the mound as the strikes piled up with a zero in the hit column, none of seemed to rattle the 23-year-old with two games under his belt.
"It has felt the same since day one. All I do is just control the things that I can control and stay in the moment," said Dotel. "That's it."
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