Reds didn't choke, Pirates and Liriano were just better

Francisco Liriano shut down Cincinnati to lead Pittsburgh to its first NLDS appearance.

Fred Vuich/SI

Salazar is the rare starting pitcher who is capable of throwing 100 mph. But Cleveland kept training wheels on the 23-year-old righthander. He averaged five innings per start in his 10 big league starts and only once threw more than 89 pitches.