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

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

Tom Verducci|

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.

Published Oct 2, 2013

TOM VERDUCCI

Tom Verducci is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who has covered Major League Baseball since 1981. He also serves as an analyst for FOX Sports and the MLB Network; is a New York Times best-selling author; and cohosts The Book of Joe podcast with Joe Maddon. A five-time Emmy Award winner across three categories (studio analyst, reporter, short form writing) and nominated in a fourth (game analyst), he is a three-time National Sportswriter of the Year winner, two-time National Magazine Award finalist, and a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. Verducci is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame, Baseball Writers Association of America (including past New York chapter chairman) and a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 1993. He also is the only writer to be a game analyst for World Series telecasts. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, with whom he has two children.

Home/MLB