Milwaukee Brewers Bizarre Opening Day Starter Curse
By Kenny Jilek
2019 – Is the curse over?
Nothing has been officially announced, but Jhoulys Chacin took the reigns in the second half of the season to become the Milwaukee Brewers’ most reliable starting pitcher. This performance of 15-8 with a 3.50 ERA will likely earn him the nod as 2019 Opening Day starter.
Oh right, the fun fact. Well since we don’t technically know who the initial out-getter will be in 2019 I can’t give a fun fact about a Brewer pitcher so I’ll link to the Bartolo Colon home run, because who doesn’t need that in their day?
Chacin was exactly what the Brewers needed down the stretch last season. He gave the Brewers a chance to win, giving up no more than three runs in each of his last 11 starts. He also threw a brilliant 5 2/3 innings in-game 163 to win the division against the Chicago Cubs, his only blemish being a solo home run from Anthony Rizzo.
His success last year largely hinged on his slider, which he threw 44.8 percent of the time. This looks good for a potential streak ender. What does not look good is that he also threw a sinker. It was his second most thrown pitch at 34.5 percent, much higher than his third most thrown four-seam fastball at 13.2 percent.
In 2017 the sinker was his favorite pitch. The transition to the slider-heavy approach was the reason for his 2018 success. With pitching coach, Derek Johnson’s departure for Cincinnati, it will be interesting to see what pitch he goes to most often in 2019. If it becomes the sinker again, and it doesn’t perform well, we could see year five of the curse unfold.
dark. Next. Which Jesus Aguilar will we see in 2019?
The key for Chacin will be to continue to be a consistent, calming influence for this young pitching staff and keep throwing his wicked slider. Will the curse finally end in 2019 with Jhoulys Chacin? Baseball is the most unpredictable sport in the world and anything can happen, that’s what makes every year different and interesting.