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Welp, it looks like my second post in a row is going to be about MLB debuts. As impressive as Oscar Tavares’ bomb of a homerun was, Blue Jays pitching prospect Marcus Stroman made my jaw drop to the floor this afternoon.
Stroman hasn’t been as highly lauded as Tavares through his career in the minors, mostly because Toronto wasn’t sure if he was a starter or a relief pitcher. His debut as a starter today as the Jays took on the Royals might have started to answer that question for Toronto however, as Stroman mowed down the Royals lineup and made use of one of the most nasty slurves (slider-curves) you’ll ever see.
For the uninitiated, the slurve is basically a slider thrown as if it were a curveball. The scouts seem to be debating whether or not Stroman’s marquee pitch is a slider or a curveball since it breaks hard left and down, so we here at SportsGrid are making the executive decision that its a slurve.
Regardless of what its called, it blew Eric Hosmer’s mind today:
On the day, Stroman went six innings, allowing five hits and one run. He didn’t give up a walk and struck out six Royals, throwing his fastball between 92 and 94 miles per hour as the game wore on and sending batters packing with that slurve all game.
I guess today is just the day of the impressive MLB debuts.
(Photo via NBC News)
