The hesitancy derived from fear, Royals left-hander Danny Duffy nervous about another setback. Dating back to his days as a high school pitcher, a curveball was his out-pitch, a go-to weapon with a game on the line.
But a few years ago, he abandoned it. Threw it less than once per every 100 pitches.
He blamed the pitch for his Tommy John surgery in 2012, an injury to his throwing elbow that came just as he thought he was figuring out his way in the big leagues. So his solution? Get rid of it.
“I was afraid to throw it, man,” Duffy said.