Making his triple-A debut Tuesday with the Buffalo Bisons, right-hander Yariel Rodriguez flashed the potential that made the Toronto Blue Jays give him a five-year, $32 million deal this off-season.
Pitching against Boston's triple-A affiliate, the Worcester Red Sox, the 27-year-old Cuban pitched four innings of no-hit ball, allowing just one walk while striking out six.
Rodriguez threw 55 pitches — 34 of them for strikes — sitting at 92.4 m.p.h. with his four-seam fastball and 82.9 with his slider. He generated seven whiffs in the game, five coming on the fastball and two on his splitter, which he threw seven times, according to Baseball Savant.
While he mostly threw his fastball and slider, Rodriguez also mixed in a curveball three times Tuesday afternoon.
He also generated a lot of soft contact by Red Sox hitters, just one of the six balls in play was considered to be "hard hit."
After getting a delayed start in spring training due to some back spasms, Rodriguez ended up appearing in two Grapefruit League games with the Blue Jays. He impressed in those two outings, as well, allowing just two hits and one run over five innings.
His last spring training performance came against a Baltimore Orioles lineup that featured many of the team's Opening Day starters. He allowed just one hit and no runs over three innings in that game.
The game was scoreless when Rodriguez left after his four innings of work. Left-handed reliever Mason Fluharty replaced him in the fifth.
The Bisons Wednesday starter has yet to be announced, but Blue Jays No. 1 prospect Ricky Tiedemann is scheduled to start on Thursday in Worcester.
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