Sixteen strikeouts. Nine innings of work. 113 pitches. 83 of them strikes. Three hits. No runs. A breaking pitch he waited to unleash until finishing off his tenth K. 23 years old. Pretty much just a fastball.
Not a bad start for a guy hated by the umpires.
It was an invigorating start last season that stirred images of Vince Velasquez putting the Phillies on his back and burning his way through a playoff series. But that afternoon wound up being the height of Velasquez's season, and the goal is, of course, for April 14, 2016 not to be the height of the young hurler's career.