I did not know this about Shane Reynolds

[juliogotay]

said he didn't think he would have had a big league career without the split-finger fastball (not the surprising part). What I didn't know, or didn't recall, was he learned it from Brent Strom.

[Knoxbanedoodle]

That's just cool.

[Mr. Happy]

Thanks for that story, which i didn't know about the Strommy angle either. The Shaner!!! A real Astro, and one of my all-time favorites, because he did the most with his limited ability  of just about any other Astro I can ever remember. Gritty, never-say-die.  Challenging and smart.

[juliogotay]

Thanks for that story, which i didn't know about the Strommy angle either. The Shaner!!! A real Astro, and one of my all-time favorites, because he did the most with his limited ability  of just about any other Astro I can ever remember. Gritty, never-say-die.  Challenging and smart.

Must be that U of Texas upbringing.

[Mr. Happy]

Must be that U of Texas upbringing.

I wouldn't diagree with that.

[Duman]

Shane tells it this way:

In the early '90s, Reynolds had done well enough in Class AA to be invited to player winter ball in Venezuela. At the time, Reynolds recalled, only Class AAA pitchers or fresh big leaguers were typically invited.

The straight shooter Strom was coaching down there.

"He watched me throw a couple games and then he asked me a question one day when I was throwing a bullpen," Reynolds said. "He goes, 'You want to play one year in the big leagues or 10 in the minors?' He goes, 'Let's do this.' He completely changed me. He helped me with the two-seamer, the sinker and a small controlled curveball and taught me the split-finger. That in a nutshell is the only way I got to the big leagues and had a fairly successful career. It was him. … I love Brent Strom."