To finish off the New York Yankees last October, Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers went to his best pitch – over and over and over. In retiring the final six batters in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, McCullers threw his curveball 24 consecutive times.
Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Godley, himself the owner of a knee-buckling curve, has never done anything like that. But his teammates think he could. Some even suggested as much, long before McCullers’ performance.
“It’s the best in the big leagues,” Diamondbacks reliever Archie Bradley said of Godley’s breaking ball. “I was kind of joking with him last year and saying, ‘Dude, I’ve got a game plan for you: just throw curveballs.