Yankees starter Michael Pineda was tagged with the loss last night, coming out on the short end of the stick against the hottest pitcher in baseball, Dallas Keuchel. But Pineda’s demeanor on the mound spelled “winner,” as did the fact that he threw 67 of his 98 pitches for strikes and every one of those pitches had a purpose.
For too long, Pineda has worn the label of being an enigma, the young hulk of a man who had all the talent in the world that he kept hidden somewhere in a shell waiting to hatch.