By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
Mike Drumright’s redemption story was a rare bright spot in a gloomy 2002 Rochester Red Wings season.
The Wings finished 34 games under .500, the worst team in the International League in their last season in the Baltimore Orioles organization. Rochester allowed 109 more runs than it scored, making for a long season at Frontier Field.
For Drumright, who the Orioles acquired from the Red Sox organization on May 9, his time in Rochester marked some of the best pitching of his career.
Expectations were high for Drumright when he was selected No. 11 overall in the 1995 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. He had helped Wichita State to the 1993 College World Series final and was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year in 1995.
Drumright was selected immediately ahead of future All-Star pitchers Matt Morris and Mark Redman and six slots ahead of late Hall of Famer Roy Halladay. He never pitched a game in the major leagues and was a forgettable 15-39 in Toledo, with a 6.04 ERA.
After toiling in Calgary, Portland and Pawtucket from 1999 to the start of 2002, Drumright was shipped to Rochester and appeared in 23 games, starting 21.
The 6-foot-4 right-hander won his third game in four decisions on June 12, 2002, scattering just five hits in seven innings as Rochester won 3-0 in Norfolk.
Drumright lowered his Red Wings ERA to 1.77 after controlling the Tides. He struck out four, issued just one walk and received help in center field in the sixth inning, when Darnell McDonald caught a drive from Norfolk cleanup hitter Mark Johnson in left-center and easily doubled off Carlos Hernandez at first base.
The best chance Norfolk had to score came after Drumright departed, when Tides catcher Jason Phillips hit a leadoff double to chase Yorkis Perez. Rochester manager Andy Etchebarren called on closer Rafael Pina, who retired Jorge Toca, Rob Stratton and Andy Tracy in order to preserve the shutout.
Jose Leon provided the only scoring of the game in the first inning when he smashed a three-run home run to left off Jae-wong Seo.
Drumright had a losing record in Rochester, with five wins in 12 decisions, but his 3.46 Wings ERA was his lowest at any stop, excluding the five games he pitched for Double-A Jacksonville in 1997.
Rochester batting
| Batter | ab | r | h | rbi |
| Darnell McDonald | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Howie Clark | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Joey Hammond | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darryl Brinkley | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Larry Bigbie | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jose Leon | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Luis De Los Santos | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Luis Garcia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Fernando Lunar | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Eddy Garabito | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Norfolk batting
| Batter | ab | r | h | rbi |
| McKay Christensen | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Carlos Hernandez | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Ty Wiggington | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mark Johnson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Phillips | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jorge Toca | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Rob Stratton | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andy Tracy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jorge Velandia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rochester 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 3
Norfolk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0
E- Clark DP- Rochester 1, Norfolk 1 LOB- Rochester 6, Norfolk 8 2B- Leon; Phillips 2 HR- Leon (8)
Rochester pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Mike Drumright (W, 3-1) | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Yorkis Perez | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rafael Pina (S, 6) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Norfolk pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Jae-wong Seo (L, 4-4) | 7 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Justin Brunette | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Time- 2:34 Attendance- 5,035
Also on this day: Jim Hutto drove in four runs to extend the Red Wings’ road win streak to four games as Rochester defeated Charleston 6-2 in 1975… Kelvin Torve’s two-run home run in the seventh inning capped a four-run rally and was the eventual game-winning hit as Rochester defeated Toledo 5-4 and swept a doubleheader in 1986… Shane Turner’s tie-breaking single in the top of the 12th carried the Red Wings to an 8-7 victory at Denver’s Mile High Stadium, a four-hour, 43-minute contest in 1989… Chris Padgett’s four hits and Tony Chance’s three-run home run led Rochester in a shootout, as the Red Wings defeated the Iowa Cubs 15-11 in Des Moine in 1990… Ryan Minor hit two home runs, including a grand slam, as the Red Wings defeated Ottawa 10-1 in 2000.
"blank" - Google News
June 12, 2020 at 05:57PM
https://ift.tt/30GE3gB
This Day in Red Wings History: Drumright pitches gem, Red Wings blank Tides - pickinsplinters.com
"blank" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3aXU3fw
https://ift.tt/2Wij67R
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "This Day in Red Wings History: Drumright pitches gem, Red Wings blank Tides - pickinsplinters.com"
Post a Comment