KANSAS CITY -- Mariners closer Edwin Diaz has been a strikeout machine in his first four appearances this season, whiffing 11 of the 14 batters he's faced while yet to give up a hit in four innings.
Diaz obviously won't be able to maintain his rate of 24.75 strikeouts per nine innings, but history shows the hard-throwing 24-year-old is one of the best in the business in missing bats. Since his debut in 2016, Diaz has the fourth-highest strikeout ratio in the Majors at 13.91 per nine innings and he's in heady company there.
In that span, only Dellin Betances of the Yankees (15.