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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2010 > March > 04 > Entry
Down goes Frazier - Todd, this time
GOODYEAR, Ariz. - Todd Frazier and his entourage of young friends swept into the pool area of the Comfort Inn Suites for some Arizona rays, Frazier’s right leg wrapped tightly with an expandable bandage.
A couple of hours earlier, Frazier was the recipient of an Aroldis Chapman fastball, delivered at 95 miles an hour that buried itself in Frazier’s knee.
As Frazier crumpled to the ground, a quick thought flashed through the press box, back to the time boxer George Foreman knocked out Joe Frazier and broadcaster Howard Cosell screamed into his microphone, “Down goes Frazier, down goes Frazier.”
And down went Frazier again, this time Cincinnati Reds infielder/rookie Todd Frazier.
“I’m hoping it’ll be OK,” said Frazier. “We’ll see how it is tomorrow. Got me a nice bone bruise. It’s the same knee I had surgery on and it was just getting back to full recovery.”
And how did Frazier hurt it in the first place?
“Embarrassing,” he said. “I was playing golf. I took a big swing and my knee collapsed. I mean, who gets hurt playing golf. I’ve never been hurt playing baseball and I get hurt playing golf.”
On this day Frazier probably wishes he was on the back nine at the Biltmore in Scottsdale when he stepped in to face the flame-throwing 22-year-old Cuban defector. One of his fastballs already had been clocked at 97. This one was only 95, but what’s two miles an hour when a rock-hard baseball finds your kneecap.
CHAPMAN’S DEBUT Thursday in an intrasquad game in Goodyear Stadium was eventful.
He pitched one inning, throwing 12 strikes among his 17 deliveries, mostly heat-packed fastballs.
His last pitch, though, was a change-up for a called strike three that buckled the knees of catcher-infielder Wilkin Castillo.
“I had no chance,” said Castillo. “Man, he throws hard. He throws a 98 miles an hour fastball and an 84 miles an hour change-up (strike three was 82 miles an hour). I’d rather be catching him than trying to hit him.”
The 22-year-old lefthander, a Cuban defector the Reds signed for $30.25 million, gave up an excuse-me opposite field double to Yonder Alonso. Asked if Alonso hit a good pitch, Chapman smiled and said, “Si.”
The 6-4, 185-pound Chapman - about six feet of it legs - showed poise beyond his experience and when asked if he was nervous he said, “No, not at all.”
Chapman speaks no English and spoke through Cuban interpreter/Dayton Dragons pitching coach Tony Fossas. He said he wasn’t scared when he hit Frazier.
“It was not intentional. I was just trying to go inside. But you never want to hit a teammate,” he said.
Of his change-up that whiffed Castillo, he said, “I’ve been working on my change-up and it’s coming along.”
THE HOME Whites defeated the VIsitors Grays, 4-2, with catcher Ramon Hernandez hitting a home run off Aaron Harang in Harang’s second inning of work.
“Trying to bolster Hernandez’s confidence,” said Harang. “You have to keep your catcher happy. I was working on pitching out of the stretch in the second inning.”
Hernandez said he was going to swing at the first pitch no matter what and took a high, outside fastball over the right-center fence. Harang smiled and said, “If I knew that I would have thrown a breaking pitch. Ramon is a good high and outside hitter.”
Control has been a question for Chapman, but he didn’t walk anybody.
Said Hernandez, “Anybody who throws hard, and he throws very hard, is going to have issues with control and command. He might have been overthrowing a little bit and missed a few pitches, but he kept the ball down and had good command of his fastball.”
WHEN THE issue of control came up before the game, manager Dusty Baker said, “Hey, he is only 22 and a hard-thrower. Check out about the control problems that guys like Randy Johnson, Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan had at that age.”
Pitching coach Bryan Price was duly impressed.
“Impressive. He threw a terrific fastball and a real nice change-up to his last hitter,” said Price. “His slider is progressing nicely. I saw a guy who was around the plate with all three of his pitches, showed a live arm and is athletic around the mound.
“We’re not just bringing in a guy we found someplace and decided, ‘Hey, let’s make this guy a pitcher,’” Price said. “He’s a pitcher and what makes him so good is he has been able to keep the ball in his locations fairly well, under control.”
Frazier begs to differ - at least on the one pitch he almost saw.
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By forex robot
May 14, 2010 10:19 PM | Link to this
Wow this is a great resource.. I’m enjoying it.. good article
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By Boyce
March 8, 2010 7:48 AM | Link to this
keithfromxenia… Hal never said Ali/Frazier and never mentioned where it was fought…
By Boyce
March 8, 2010 7:44 AM | Link to this
Pay attention, Greg…he never said George Frazier. “By Greg Page March 5, 2010 9:52 AM ‘Joe’ Frazier, not George, Hal.”
By URoverrated@whatever.com
March 5, 2010 6:29 PM | Link to this
Accuracy is for all of the God-forsaken stringers. The superstars like Arch and Hal can print whatever they want—wheter it is based in fact, or not—and then dog the young guys when they aren’t around to defend themselves. It’s time for some over-rated writers to retire.
By THAT'SOK@WHATEVER.COM
March 5, 2010 6:28 PM | Link to this
Accuracy is for all of the God-forsaken stringers. The superstars like Arch and Hal can print whatever they want—wheter it is based in fact, or not—and then dog the young guys when they aren’t around to defend themselves. It’s time for some over-rated writers to retire.
By Greg Page
March 5, 2010 9:52 AM | Link to this
‘Joe’ Frazier, not George, Hal.
By Worn Cleat
March 5, 2010 9:32 AM | Link to this
OH NO! This must mean that since Frazier is now injury-prone, that he will now be moved by Baker to left field and become “part time” forever more. Obviously, it will also follow, that CD will now be “part-time”, part of the time.
By Yodasbrother
March 5, 2010 7:21 AM | Link to this
Yeah, maybe chapman needs to work on his control in the minors, but part of me would like to see him practice his control on Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and other big time lefthanded batters.
By JB
March 5, 2010 3:31 AM | Link to this
Great news on Chapman,only next time,quit hitting are OWN players.No way this guy is the 5th starter,send him to AAA for a while.
By keithfromxenia
March 4, 2010 10:04 PM | Link to this
great article, hal, but that fight was the frazier/foreman fight, i think in jamaica, when foreman floored frazier about 4-5 times. i was at hara arena for the video broadcast of the fight. the picture was awful and there was a riot after the fight. but it was definitely frazier/foreman, not frazier/ali.