HOUSTON — Astros starter Framber Valdez began Game 1 of the World Series with his bread-and-butter—his sinker. It is his most frequently used pitch, and it is also the one that allows him to generate a remarkable number of groundballs, more than any other pitcher in baseball. This is how the lefty works when he is at his best: He thrives in the lower half of the zone, pairing the sinker with a nasty curve, a combination that typically leaves hitters struggling to lift the ball off the ground.
So how else would Valdez have begun the World Series?