“Why don’t you stay inside your box?” Mikolas recalled the manager asking. “He said I should find the place to be calm and not do too much and don’t fly off the mound, stay relaxed, and stay in that little box. He called it ‘my box.’ Make pitches. Stay in the box. Be good to go.”
Recognizing that there is no exchange rate on strikes — they’re as valuable here as anywhere — Mikolas has announced his return to the majors by pelting the strike zone in his first four starts for the Cardinals. He defeated the Cincinnati Reds for the second time in eight days by throwing four strikes for every one ball in the Cardinals’ 9-2 drubbing of the Reds on Sunday at Busch Stadium.