Forget the score for a second (it was 9-2, not bragging, but y’know), and just focus on these numbers: Cleveland batters saw 24 changeups from Luis Castillo — a pitcher who, admittedly, is off to a slow start but typically features some of the best off-speed stuff in baseball. Of the 17 times they swung at those changeups, seven were put into play, nine were fouled off, and just one was swung on and missed.
For a team that has a painful history against changeups, tonight was pure catharsis. Beyond scoring nine runs following a no-hitter, they finally got to a heavy-changeup pitcher early and often and were rewarded with a pile of runs that allowed their starter to cruise through seven innings of mostly stress-free work.