November 6th, 2035
Offen Sichtlich der Kunstgriff
12-10, 4.46 ERA (4.96 FIP, 114 FIP-), 33 HR, 89 BB, 148 K. Those are the numbers of one four time Steve Nebraska winner Ricardo Diaz.
*Sigh*. It's tough to watch our heroes fade into mediocrity. Ricardo Diaz IS the California Crusaders. A dominant pitcher, an exemplar of the focus, determination, and relentless effort that our beloved organization prides itself upon. I'll be honest Crusaders fans, I didn't know what to expect out of Ricardo this year. I am ashamed to admit I thought it could be worse. He was aging pretty gracefully before shoulder inflammation shut him down for 2034. Then spring training came, and my superhero looked ... human. Pedestrian even. He still could ratchet it up to 99 at times, which is frankly amazing, but gone was the late bite on his cutter. The splitter didn't dive an alarming amount of the time. Diaz' once elite command appeared to have vanished, as he struggled at time to find the plate.
So when camp broke, he was slotted in as the fifth starter, almost certainly to be replaced by Knud Zeitler when he proved ineffective. An ignominious end for an all time great. The man once assured to become the all time leader in strikeouts (non immortal God Steve Nebraska division) and only the second to get to 4000 now looked like he might not even make it through second place. Ugh. I tried to not think about it. It happens to all of us sometime. Better to jsut accept it.
Then Zeitler got hurt, and well, Ricardo just kept pitching. PITCHING, you know? Looks like he learned something during his record 515 consecutive starts without injury, over those 3715 innings. It wasn't always pretty, but he seemed to get better when he had to. Managed the game. It's a startling change for a guy who never HAD to to that. Although, I'm pretty embarrassed now to realize I ever doubted he could.
The we got to the playoffs. Diaz wasn't expected to pitch. He was around as a mentor, as stabilizing influence. But after an incredibly close, exhausting Doubleday Series against San Fernando, the rotation was a mess. So the Crusaders turned one more time to Ricardo Diaz. Eleven years after he threw seven innings per start over seven games en route to a 2.40 postseason ERA and his first Landis title. Eleven years of team playoff futility and up and down performances since. Eight years since his last Nebraska, and five since he could truly be considered a dominant starter. When the Crusaders needed someone to step up, Diaz took the mound and threw a three run compete game. He'd pitch again in the Landis, losing a close one to Rockville, another gutty performance. A crafty veteran now, he willed himself through innings rather than mowing down batters like he once did. After all the accolades and strikeouts, how could anything this diminished version of Ricardo Diaz do seem so iconic? It seems ridiculous to think it. Still, that game one start against Calgary in the Cartwright might be the defining moment of his career.
