Justin Masterson and Chris Perez are having success against American League hitters — Masterson is 5-2, 2.52; Perez has 10 saves — but what would happen if they went up against a lineup of Indians legends? How would they pitch to the likes of Napoleon Lajoie and Rocky Colavito? The Cleveland right-handers tackled that question head on, often with tongues firmly in cheek, prior to a recent game.
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David Laurila: Shoeless Joe Jackson is playing left field and leading off. How do you go after him?
Justin Masterson: I’d probably start out by throwing a sinker at his feet, to get his feet moving and maybe rough up his non-shoed soles. That would get him a little uncomfortable in the box. From there, it’s hard for him to dig in, so I don’t have to worry about brushing him back; I’d just go with heaters away.
Chris Perez: He didn’t wear shoes and he was fast. That’s what I think, so he’s going to be a little slap hitter. I’m going to throw him hard and in and make him beat me by pulling it down the line. If he works the count and gets deep, I’m going to throw a slider low and away. I’m picturing Ichiro. I actually didn’t know he played for the Indians. I thought he just played for the White Sox.
DL: Rick Manning is in center and hitting second. He’s in the lineup because Tris Speaker is out with an injury.
Masterson: I figure that Rick Manning, back in the day when he was playing, had talking into the microphone in his head, so I’m going to bring out the microphone pitch. I’m going to throw a little deke at him. I’m going to underhand a microphone and he’s going to see it and think, “Oh, microphone; I need to talk into this.
