Chris Sale. (Photo by John Gress/Getty Images)
By Matt Spiegel-
“We love to watch young pitchers dominate grown men.”
Former Mets pitcher and current broadcaster Ron Darling told me that years ago, and it stuck with me. Like music prodigies since Mozart, or a first-time film director who wins an Oscar, precocious and skilled youth tantalizes.
The first time I was conscious of the baseball phenomena was with Darling’s teammate — Doc Gooden — in 1985, when he won pitching’s triple crown and laid claim to one of the best seasons anyone has ever seen.
Here, we all recall the feeling when Kerry Wood arrived with a 20-strikeout bang. Maybe Mark Prior in 2003 did it for you, though the stains of history can disfigure the memories.
Chris Sale is bringing more pitching joy and awe to this baseball town than anyone since Kid K.
For the rest of Spiegel’s column from the Daily Herald, please click here.
