The Old Master

Man, Pedro’s 8 shutout innings were just an absolute pitching clinic tonight, as he methodically dismantled the Marlins lineup like he was picking the wings off a fly. In, out, faster, slower . . . he was just one step ahead with his changes in speeds and locations, just getting in their heads and outsmarting them. Tom Seaver, in the broadcast booth, is just completely energized when Pedro’s out there -you can feel his enjoyment of great pitching like this, as he and Fran Healy spent the last few innings guessing where they’d call the next pitch – “I think he’s got him here, Fran, I’d go up a couple inches and just move a little outside and he’ll bite.”
For the record, though, I would have pulled Pedro for a pinch hitter after 7, when he came up with a runner on second and one out, a 1-run lead, and already having thrown 100 pitches. He moved the runner over – as if this is a big deal, getting a man to third with two outs – and Jose Reyes went Bobbing for Bad Pitches to strike out and leave Pedro and then Looper to cling to a 1-0 lead.