World Series 2005: Roy Oswalt Game 3 Starter

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Houston Astros - Roy Oswalt, 20-game winner

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With the amazing speed differential of his fastball and curve, Oswalt has long been expected to be among baseball's best pitchers. Last season, he seemed to put it all together, although a painful ribcage injury dogged him much of the year. Oswalt took cortisone and pain shots for the problem, never missed a start and won 12 of his last 14 decisions. He throws his imposing fastball at 96-97 MPH, then comes in with a curve in the 70s to strike hitters out, often making them look bad in the process. He also went to throwing his curve at different speeds last year, further confounding hitters. He improved his slider and used it more last season, and is developing a sneaky changeup.