Sometimes what makes a baseball player successful is simple. Tony Zych has a fastball that is 93-96 mph and runs horizontally in on right-handed hitters. It was good enough to freeze Adam Rosales and win a game that Tuffy Gosewisch played in.
That pitch is paired with a slider so devastating it was labeled Satan’s Frisbee, and aptly so.
There are many reasons why there are more strikeouts than ever in baseball these days, but pitchers like Zych are a major reason. The ability to come in for one inning and throw maximum effort for maximum movement and velocity paved a pathway to the majors for guys like Zych who lacked the stamina to start.