When Bruce Rondon’s name was announced to the crowd, only 10 to 15 people clapped—a less-than-warm reception compared to the one that greeted his better-known teammates. But this was the largest stage on which he’d played—the 2012 All-Star Futures Game, an annual Minor League Baseball showcase that features the most promising players who have yet to make the majors—and he intended to stand out. When I go out to pitch, he thought, I know they will applaud for me.
The game was a blowout by the time Rondon entered, in the bottom of the 8th. Then the 6'3", 275-pound Venezuelan right-hander did his thing. His first pitch raced past the batter at a speed clocked at 102 mph. Fans perked up. He fired off three more that reached 101 mph, striking out two batters. As he swaggered off the field, the crowd rose for a standing ovation. Rondon’s takeaway: “When I don’t throw 100, the people are normal,” he says, speaking Spanish through a translator. “That gives me a little more motivation to throw harder.” A year later, he debuted with the Detroit Tigers, and a major league–leading 25.57 percent of his pitches were at triple-digit velocity. He topped out at 102.8 mph.
The speed made Rondon a star, because baseball lusts for the 100-mph arm. It is seductive. All pitchers want it. Scouts flock by the hundreds to small towns based on rumors of it. Coaches are willing to work with even the most undisciplined players who have it. Executives dream about developing it. And spectators and players alike lose their minds whenever they see it.
“A pitcher, you throw 100 miles per hour, you are the shit,” says Omar Vizquel, who played 24 years and now coaches with Detroit.
This story is from the November 2015 edition of Maxim.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2015 edition of Maxim.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Enzo on the Silver Screen
Michael Mann’s new biopic of Enzo Ferrari starring Adam Driver is set to make the legend burn even brighter
Some Like it HОТ
We piloted Ferrari's fantastie new open-topped grand tourer through the craggy hills of Sardinia
THE LEGEND OF ENZO
DURING HIS LIFETIME FERRARI FORGED THE ENTIRE PANTHEON OF MOTORSPORTS
THIS SIDE of PARADISE
A landmark new exhibition of Ellen von Unwerth’s work is suitably playful and provocative
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA IN BELIZE 10-MS
The famed director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now tells us why the Central American country has captured one of the world's greatest imaginations,
WEAPONS of WICK
Meet master engraver Melissa McMinn, who created Keanu Reeves’ dueling pistols for the hit franchise
SUDDENLY This SUMMER
Model, influencer and actress Summer Soderstrom is the blonde bombshell we're keeping our eye on
VIVA LAS VEGAS
We wade into the spectacle that was the reborn Las Vegas Grand Prix
DRINKING La DOLCE VITA
From pioneering distilling methods to the massive success of Martini Racing, the story of the most iconic name in aperitifs
FIVE-STAR STYLE
With an impressive roster of ultra-high-net-worth clients, i design powerhouse Rigby Rigby is making waves Bei on the Riviera and beyond