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.
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 only know one way to pitch. I really do.
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.
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.
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.
Half the time, I have trouble following our own pitcher's sequence.
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'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.
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.
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.
If I can execute pitches and keep the ball out of the middle of the plate, I know I can have success.
I'm trying to throw more curves because I'm always throwing fastball, slider, fastball, slider.
Got any pitches? I got five pitches-rise-ball, curveball, screwball, drop-ball and changeup.
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.
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.
It's hard to be a two-pitch guy. People tell you that, but you don't really believe it.
