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The Pitching Journal: Japanese Royalty
Tokyo's "Big Three" won't be breaking up anytime soon
By Jim Phallis / Baseball Tri-Weekly
They are becoming the holy trinity in a nation that worships Confucianism… or something equally Asian. Dontrelle Willis, John Patterson and Zach Duke may be the only active staring pitchers on the Tokyo roster, but they are quickly becoming one of the most formidable trios in the EHCC.
The prize of a pre-season trade, Willis and Paterson came to Tokyo from Weymouth for Edgar Renteria and a draft pick. The move paid off immediately, with Dontrelle having one of the best first-halfs in baseball and Patterson, a journeyman pitcher coming into the season, posted an ERA below 3.00 for the fist time in his career. Both were studs on a deteriorating staff and looked to be trade bait by midseason, until a franchise changing press conference.
On July 8th, Ishtar called the slant-eyed scribes together for a press conference to announce the signing of Zach Duke. The rookie pitcher was highly sought after following the success of fellow youngster Scott Olsen and was entertaining offers from all the top teams, but decided to take less money to sign in Tokyo.
“A lot of people ask if I am avoiding the pressure,” said Duke, in an interview on EHSPN. “That didn’t enter my mind when I decided to come here. I want the pressure. I think there is more pressure on me here than if I were stuck at the bottom of the Rakeville or Quebec City staff. I would be a filler stat. Here, I make a difference.”
Embracing responsibility has already made him a leader in the clubhouse, and his performance on the mound has been backing it up. Five wins in six starts with an outstanding 0.92 ERA is enough to support the theory he will be a cornerstone in a very good pitching staff someday.
The trio brings something that few of the non-elite teams have; dominance. Aside from Haverhill, no other pitching staffs have three go-to guys like Tokyo. Unfortunately for the Omyoujis, Casey Fossum is the other MLB caliber pitcher on their team while most teams have at least a dozen.
“The numbers will come,” said Duke. “We aren’t going to win any sympathy awards this year, but we do plan on winning a few Cy Youngs in the coming years and an EHCC title soon after that.”
Some say Tokyo may be years away from contending for a playoff spot, much less a title, but the Omyoujis aren’t deterred. Nor should they be. They have a secret weapon in these three princes, and it will only be a matter of time before they ascend the throne.
Boner of the week: Joe Blanton, WEY, 13 IP, 2 wins, 9 Ks, 0.69 ERA.
Jim Phallis is a columnist for Baseball Tri-Weekly. His brother Morty was the driver for the 80's rock band Asia.
