Hitters beware: He can pitch from behind, too. In Friday night’s 6-2 win over Bowling Green, Joseph was down in the count 3 balls to one strike. A fastball made it 3-2, and with the hitter expecting another fastball, Joseph countered with his dominant pitch.
“Donnie broke out a serious slider and the guy missed it by about a foot,” Benzinger said. “That’s some chutzpah right there.”
The pressure of being a closer — having perhaps just one inning to make an impact and often having to warm up in a hurry — works well with Joseph and his mentality.
Still, Benzinger said, there’s always the possibility he could be used as a starter somewhere along his professional path.