It's more than Skins. It's a monster? TB Yankees manager stunned by 23-year-old right-hander fireballer...Last 8G ERA 0.92 No. 1 overall
Jul 21, 2024
|
Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Taj Bradley defeated the New York Yankees for his fifth win of the season.
Bradley started the away game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on the 21st (Korea time), and led the team to a 9-1 complete victory by giving up just one hit and two walks in seven innings and blocking a scoreless game.
He had five wins and four losses with an ERA of 2.63 in 13 games this season. However, he allowed nine hits and nine runs in three ⅓ innings against the Baltimore Orioles on June 2, raising concerns that he might have a problem with his chest muscles that he injured earlier this year.
However, he met Baltimore again on June 9 and found his pace by allowing three hits and one run in five innings. Since then, he has been 4-1 with a 0.92 ERA in eight games until the game against the Yankees. He is the No. 1 ERA among pitchers who pitched 30 innings during this period. Paul Skins, a strong candidate for the Pittsburgh Pirates' Rookie of the Year award, pitched 39 ⅓ innings in six games during the same period with a 1.14 ERA. The two players have the same thing as throwing fast balls over 100 miles.
In particular, Bradley showed off his peak condition by pitching seven scoreless innings in two consecutive games following the game against the Cleveland Guardians (five hits and no runs in seven innings) on the 13th, his last appearance in the first half.
|
Bradley gave up an extra hit to Yankees batters after giving up a right double to leadoff Ben Rice in the bottom of the first inning. After catching Austin Wells with a double play by second baseman in the bottom of the fourth inning with no outs and runners on first base with a 4-0 lead, he also overpowered 11 consecutive batters until the seventh inning.
After the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said "Cutter's trajectory was different every time he threw it. The fast and slow splitter was also good. It left our batters lethargic, and few barrel hits came out," he said in compliments. Bradley went 0-for-5 with no hits and one walk for the Yankees 'Double Fawl' Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.
Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said, `He was overwhelmed today as well" was praised with words.
Tampa Bay scored the first run in the top of the third inning with Curtis Mead's double with two outs and a third base, and then made it 4-0 with Alex Jackson's superior three-run homer in the fourth inning. In the fifth inning, two home runs by Isaac Paredes and Randy Arozarena drove down Yankees starter Nick Cortes. Arozarena also sealed the game in the seventh inning with a two-run shot over the left-center field.
Bradley, who was born in March 2001, joined after being drafted by Tampa Bay as the 150th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2018 draft and made his major league debut last year after about five years in the minor leagues. Last season, he pitched in 23 games, losing 5-8 with a 5.59 ERA, showing his potential.
In March of this year, he injured a breast fungus and entered the season on the injured list. After throwing two games in Triple-A after rehabilitation, he entered the Major League on May 11 and has consistently defended the rotation by showing better-than-expected pitching. It's not just about maintaining rotation. He is surprising club officials with ace-class pitching.
jhno@sportschosun.com
