Brandon Pfaadt's Rookie Season Comes Full Circle in Game 3

Rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt made his major league debut against the Texas Rangers on May 3rd. Pfaadt limped to the end of his debut, yielding seven runs on four home runs to the high-powered Texas lineup in 4 2/3 innings, in a game Arizona won 12-7. Five months later, he'll face the Rangers again with much more on the line.

"It was cool going back to Arlington. It was like a full circle" said Pfaadt. "That debut day was kind of a blur, but some things came back when we showed up to the ballpark. It was really cool to be there and kind of see that full-circle moment. I think the way we've grown over the season has been tremendous. And ready to get back after them."

The Diamondbacks would not be in the position they're in now without Pfaadt's postseason heroics. In his past three starts, the rookie has allowed just two runs in 14 innings. Two of them played a critical role in the D-backs ability to overcome a 2-0 deficit in the National League Championship Series to defeat Philadelphia in seven games. Pfaadt recalled a moment three weeks ago in which he went out to eat with teammate Ryne Nelson and a kid walked up and asked for a picture. He described the moment as pretty cool and the first time it's happened for him as a big leaguer.

Over the course of the season, he's worked tirelessly with pitching coach Brent Strom to improve on the mound. He is a much different pitcher today than he was in his debut, pitching on the opposite side of the rubber to increase the perceived speed of his fastball and utilizing a deeper repertoire of pitches that includes an improved changeup and a sinker.

In Game 3 of the World Series, Pfaadt is once again tasked to make an important start. The key will be his ability to command his fastballs, both the 4-seamer and sinker, to the edges of the strike zone to set up his sweeper and changeup for chases out of the zone. The Rangers lineup is very disciplined at the plate, as evidenced by their 10 walks in Game 1, but a pitcher who can execute his pitches can handle this lineup as Merrill Kelly proved in Game 2.

"When you have a guy like Merrill go out there and do the job he did, that kind of sets a standard for the rest of the series" said Pfaadt. "And I think that's huge for going forward for his next start, for Zac's next start and for my next two starts or maybe one, hopefully one."

The plan for manager Torey Lovullo will not be much different than Game 3 of the NLCS. Even with a potential bullpen game in Game 4, the plan will be 18 plus or minus four hitters with Pfaadt. A win would not only give the D-backs a 2-1 lead in this Best of Seven series, but also give them an opportunity to potentially win it all on their home field if they can take all three of their home games. That will be easier said than done, as the Rangers are 8-0 on the road in the postseason.

D-backs Rally to Defeat Rangers in Brandon Pfaadt's Debut