Jake Arrieta's no-hitter was the culmination of hard work, close calls - SI.com
?He set a season-high with 12 strikeouts on Sunday night, showing off a sparkling cutter that has emerged as his premier pitch, one that darts violently across the plate late in its arrival. The second close call came in the seventh, when Castro moved to his right and snagged a Carl Crawford liner to end the inning. It’s no wonder Arrieta’s usage of the pitch has increased from 6. 1% in 2013 to 28. 4% this season according to fangraphs. His fastball velocity didn’t waver toward the end of his 116-pitch outing on Sunday, either, as he hit 96 mph on the gun several times in the final inning and struck out the side, getting Justin Turner swinging, Jimmy Rollins looking and, for the... Arrieta's cutter may not compare to Mariano Rivera ’s quite yet, but it’s good enough to urge one scout to tell USA Today “The others are minor-league cutters compared to what Arrieta is throwing. Source: www.si.com
