When Matt Thornton was in the midst of a miserable 2005 season with Seattle, he sought help from someone who has a similar frame and endured the same problems.
That was five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson–who was transformed from a project to one of the most dominant pitchers in history.
With the help of Seattle trainer Rick Griffin, the two hard-throwing left-handers discussed ways to remedy Thornton’s problems.
Those methods were reinforced last weekend when Thornton met the former Mariner in the weight room at Yankee Stadium.
“I really benefited from what he taught me,” Thornton said Wednesday, a day after he continued his prowess when he retired all four batters he faced to close out the White Sox’s 7-1 victory at Detroit.
Thornton has a 2.49 ERA over his last 25 appearances, holding batters to a .172 average in that span. He has taken a huge load off fellow left-hander Neal Cotts, but Thornton’s biggest improvement has been with his control.
He has walked 15 batters (four intentional) in 33 innings, a remarkable difference from his 67 walks in 89 2/3 innings over the last two seasons with Seattle.
Thornton said one of the biggest reasons for his improvement has been expanding his stride to the plate–a tip he learned from Johnson that Sox pitching coach Don Cooper reinforced shortly after he was obtained March 20 for outfielder Joe Borchard.
“I’m riding to the plate more,” Thornton said of his adjustment in which he tries to release the ball as late as possible. “I’m 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, and I was throwing as if I was 6-foot, 200. I’m using my entire body, and that’s why my velocity is consistently higher.”
In addition to watching split-screen videotapes last year of their deliveries, Thornton said he heeded Johnson’s advice about establishing the inside fastball to right-handed hitters and pitching away from lefties.
“It was good to talk last weekend about some of the stuff we talked about last year,” Thornton said. “He’s one of the fiercest competitors in the game.”
