9 pitches in to the home start vs toronto. Crazy Joe leaves the mound with a training staff escort.

Been wondering about Crazy Joe ever since his dominant start back on April 11 when he pitched 7 strong... I thought then, it was early in the year to let your ace pitch 7 innings. Not that his pitch count was high. It took him only 91 to get 21 outs. Its the up & down. The cool down and ramp up between innings in his 3 rd start of the season. He had gone 4 in start 1. 5 in start 2.
In this era. These players are as thourogh red horses. It take kid gloves and coddling to stretch a pitcher out to mid season form...

And sure enough. His 3 starts since then & today. Joe has looked "off". More deep counts than quick outs. More base runners than the "ace" version of Crazy Joe usually allows ... 2 losses & a nd in those 3 games ...

I hadnt yet tuned in to the telecast, so im not sure what if anything was noticed. It sounds more like he self reported a tweak or strain.

Tough news for the team that reclaimed the central cellar yesterday.

Bill Lee, "The spaceman". Gained infamy and a following bc of his quirks & eccentric "style".

Similarly, "the Joe Ryan experience" its his uniqueness as a modern athlete. Absent the interview cliches- Joe is the 21st century of Bill Lee. Its not just his candid self that appears in interviews. Its also his on field antics. I dont know that im a big fan of Joe the pitcher. On the ither hand, "Crazy Joe"? Yeah. Love the dude. A lil bit Bird Fyderich, a lil bit Bill Lee, a lil bit of the funny side if aaron ridgers(not the conspiracy theory/ insecure ego aaron)...


Amongst Twins broadcasters & his followers- "The Joe Ryan experience" is his actual nickname. My oldest son snickers in the background, sez, " I can appreciate the quirk dad influence on childhood". We didnt hunt snakes, we hunted Preting Mantis and Spiders. Biking the back trails? Check. Searching remote fishing locations for catch & release? Check. Hiking & rock climbing? Check. Live capture of various small animals, Squirrels, mice, field rats, marmots & rabbits? Check. Creating a competitive "feed the birds game" I invented. Between crows & seagulls was a favorite on beach excursions. Hint- crows are really smart, team players. Seagulls are stupid, much bigger & aggressive, but have zero concept of team work.... So- the crows always got far more bread. While the seagulls in their frustration would attack each other.
Id take my sons to the hardware store. As an adventure. Nuts, bolts, angle iron & brackets. Feed their imaginative side. Try to get them to see there was art & expression in metal fasteners & brackets. A kind of a cross between legos & an erector set.

Good luck on your recovery Joe.