Cleaning up that lack of the definition between the two, and then leaning on the four-seam, having it become my primary fastball over my two-seam, it's just benefited me as a whole.
I think the changeup has become more popular recently by pitchers like Pedro Martinez and the success he had with it.
I only know one way to pitch. I really do.
That's when I'm at my best. When I can throw a fastball over in the count, just throw strikes both in and away, it just sets up all my stuff.
I use fast curves, pitched overhand and sidearm, fastballs, high and inside, and an underhand fade away pitch with the hand almost down to the level of the knees.
John Wetteland had a very good curveball. He threw it for a strike, too, in any count, any situation. But, he really didn't use it much. He didn't want to throw it. He wanted to throw fastball-slider.
Half the time, I have trouble following our own pitcher's sequence.
The reason I think I'm a good pitcher is I locate my fastball and I change speeds. Period. That's what you do to pitch. That's what pitchers have to do to win games.
I've got a fastball, change-up, forkball, curve, slider, knuckle-slider, knuckle-curve, I had about seven pitches I could have used at any time.
You can be a two-pitch guy and be successful, but your room for error is very small.
I'll get in that habit of throwing the ball over the plate too much. You want to keep it going, get those guys back into the dugout. But it's not a good thing when you're over more than a third of the plate.
In my bullpen sessions, I'm just trying to feel comfortable, throw strikes, and not get too complicated.
I threw a good fastball and changeup, but a below-average curveball.
I was short with my fastball and breaking ball.
You aren't going to stick around long with just two pitches.
Give me 10 high school pitchers, let me spend a week with them, and I'll show you 10 pitchers who won't balk. It's not that difficult, and they better learn it.
A pitcher needs two pitches, one they're looking for and one to cross them up.
I'm trying to throw more curves because I'm always throwing fastball, slider, fastball, slider.
Sometimes I rush my swing because I am so anxious to play well. In Cuba, the quality of the pitching is not the same as it is here. There you might find one or two pitchers at 94 or 95 mph. Here, every day I find several, and each pitcher who comes along throws his hardest stuff.
Got any pitches? I got five pitches-rise-ball, curveball, screwball, drop-ball and changeup.
If I can execute pitches and keep the ball out of the middle of the plate, I know I can have success.
I've got four pitches now. I don't have to use them all the time, but I've got them in my pocket now for when it's necessary.
It's hard to be a two-pitch guy. People tell you that, but you don't really believe it.
The big thing will be having two pitches you can throw for strikes and developing a change-up, too.
I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it.
