Pitchers are odd birds, creatures of habit whose lives are laid out in five-day cycles from which any deviation can be disastrous. Okay, there might be a little hyperbole in there, but it’s definitely true that routine is key for starting pitchers in particular. That’s why it’s so interesting that two members of the Cubs’ rotation are experiencing success by doing something different.
The first of those is Yu Darvish, who just decided to start throwing a knuckle curve. After learning it from Craig Kimbrel in the days leading up to his start against the Giants last week, Darvish tried it out in a bullpen session and felt confident enough to add it to his repertoire.