Have you ever seen one pitch from a pitcher that made you think you were watching a star? A pitch so perfectly executed, and a reaction from the batter so confused and helpless that you thought: This guy is going to be huge.



Of course, it can’t just be a nasty breaking ball, there are too many of those. And a well-placed pitch could be a trick of the eyes, or just one among thousands that pitcher will throw — some less well-placed. But what if it was unique? What if it was a pitch that meshed so completely with the rest of the pitcher’s approach that it was much more meaningful than a moment in time?



What if it was this pitch:



Apologies to Steven Duggar, but he didn’t stand a chance on this front-door changeup from the Padres’ surprise ace (and rookie) Chris Paddack.



“Do you see that thing?” said his catcher, Austin Hedges, with admiration. “I just wanted a good strike, and he threw the extra strike...