At times, the Cubs’ collective inability to throw strikes — especially first-pitch strikes — has been psychologically and emotionally taxing. But thankfully, Pedro Strop is there to provide relief.
Seriously, is there anything more frustrating than a reliever coming into the game and getting behind batters right away? My palms are getting sweaty just thinking about it. But Strop has been a cure-all elixir, nailing first-pitch strikes at a rate greater than 95% of all MLB relievers.
Going into Sunday night’s game against the Cardinals, Strop holds a 9.28 K/9 rate, a nice 1.