“Pressure is a privilege,” Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon said after Tuesday’s game against the New York Mets.
And, on the big stage of the majors for only the second time, he sure made quite the impression.
The 24-year-old righty had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning against the reigning National League champions. The Pirates won, 4-0.
“I said after my first start, ‘I don’t think I could draw it up any better than to get a win,’ and I did,” Taillon told Root Sports after the game.
His outing was one the Pirates needed desperately, helping a struggling starting rotation and giving a tired bullpen some much-needed rest.
The team needed a shot in the arm, and Taillon (1-0) did just that, going eight innings and allowing two hits, the first of which came when Curtis Granderson, leading off the bottom of the seventh inning, hung curveball.
After the hit, there was a lot of applause — and it didn’t just come from the Pirates’ fans (which included Taillon’s family). The Mets’ fans in the stands also applauded what they rookie had done.
On the mound, Taillon pitched with a purpose, clearly aware of what was going on but was unfazed. He had gone this far with a no-hitter before in Triple-A, which, despite a clearly different level, gave him some comfort on the mound. And when he gave up the hit, he didn’t unravel or lose control of his stuff.
In Tuesday’s start, it was clear that he learned from the few mistakes he made in the first outing. The Pirates gave him a lead, and he just dug in that much more.
Sure, it’s only one start, but Taillon’s dominance tonight on the mound (and the strong way he pitched in his first outing) could easily help reverse the free-fall this Pirates team is in.
Taillon said he was the privileged one, but for the Pirates, the pleasure may have been all theirs.
Image credit: Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports
