MASTERSON MASTERFUL

May 4: After the 2013 draft, the Soho Werewolves took a chance on free agent Justin Masterson. Now a member of the rotation for re-named Nor Cal, Masterson rewarded Anthony Guerra and the team’s fans for their faith in him with a dominant masterpiece.

Masterson came into his sixth start at 2-0, 2.65 with 34 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings and a sub-1.00 WHIP. The Pirates, in second place in the East, were looking for him to complete a sweep of Central division cellar-dwelling Pottsylvania.

Opposing Masterson was a youngster with moderate success early on (2-1, 3.74).

Early returns indicated the Creepers would push across a run. A walk and hit batter opened the top of the second, but Masterson got two harmless fly balls and a ground out to end the threat. Another runner reached on an error leading off the third but, despite a wild pitch, he was stranded.

Archer matched the goose eggs despite allowing Pirates into scoring position in the first and third, but Nor Cal broke through in the fourth. With one away, Ryan Howard tripled (!?). After a walk to Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Seager drove a ball to right that was deep enough for the lumbering veteran to stroll across the plate.

The Pirates added two more in the sixth on a Howard RBI 2B and Matt Wieters sacrifice fly. That pushed the Nor Cal lead to 3-0 as the game moved to the final third.

Fans were starting to buzz with each Creeper out. Masterson was working on a shutout, and he hadn’t allowed a Pottsylvania batter to reach via base hit. In the seventh, Jeff Moore’s troops went down, 1-2-3. Same story for the eight, despite Will Clark’s attempt to get something going by pinch-hitting for each of the three batters.

That sent it to the ninth. Masterson, over 100 pitches, must have looked gassed to the Creepers, as they started chasing early in the count. Erick Aybar saw a strike and then lined the ball toward right field. However, Starling Marte had a bead on it and made the running catch for the first out. Matt Holliday swung at the first pitch, but it was a weak three-hopper back to the box. Allen Craig stepped up with two away. Masterson was just one out away from history…but his jitters got the best of him. The first offering to Craig was too far up and in and nailed him on the shoulder.

Nor Cal’s big right took a walk around the mound to clear his head. Noted annoyance A.J. Pierzynski was next. Pierzynski would be just the guy to lay down a bunt with the corners back to break up the no-no. But the aged backstop swung at a high pitch and skied the ball to shallow right field. Marte camped under, raised the glove and accepted the can of corn. A NO-HITTER!

Masterson was mobbed by his teammates on the mound and the Coliseum crowd went wild! Masterson’s final line: 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K on 118 pitches as his ERA dropped to 2.14.

The win, coupled with Worcester’s loss, allowed Nor Cal to pull within a game and a half in the East division, albeit with most of the season yet to play.

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