Once the baseball popped in catcher Francisco Cervelli mitt and the home-plate umpire signaled strike three, Trevor Williams stalked off the pitcher’s mound and roared. The Pirates rookie right-hander had pumped a fastball past the Detroit Tigers’ Nick Castellanos on the 107th pitch of his best start in the majors. To think he was once traded for a pitching instructor.
A pitcher’s duel broke out Monday night at PNC Park, and the Pirates prevailed 3-0 after Williams, making a Major League minimum salary, spun a one-hit gem over seven scoreless innings and Tigers starter Jordan Zimmermann, owed $18 million this season and $74 million over the next three years, blinked and watched John Jaso’s pinch-hit homer put the game away.