Aug. 9—MOOSIC — Mike Vasil stood on the grass in front of his dugout, glancing occasionally toward the scoreboard that told the numerical story of what he called his biggest night as a professional.
Forgive him if he didn’t pine for one pitch back.
The right-hander took a no-hitter into the ninth inning before leadoff man Brandon Lockridge grounded a hard singled up the middle, but Vasil happily settled for a one-hit shutout in a 3-0 masterpiece against the RailRiders on Tuesday night at PNC Field.
He walked just two batters, striking out seven in an economical outing in which 61 of the 94 pitches he threw clipped the strike zone. Right-hander Sam Coonrod retired the game’s last three hitters to close out the gem.
“Right now, it hasn’t really settled in,” Vasil said. “I got ready for the game, went out for the first, pitched the first three (innings), went through the lineup a second time and the next thing I knew, I look up and it’s the ninth inning. I’ve never really had a start like that before. Getting into the ninth inning with no hits, you’re really in a different area.”
RailRiders left-hander Edgar Barclay did what he could to keep the game close, pitching around trouble in the second and fifth innings. But Mets prospect Ronny Maurico’s opposite field home run on the first pitch of the fourth inning, which landed in the bar seating in front of the RailHouse in right, proved to be the only run Syracuse would need.
Thanks to Vasil’s overpowering fastball/cutter combination, and some timely defense, of course.
Maurico had to make a strong throw on the run, coming in on a slow chopper by a hustling Franchy Cordero in the fifth inning to prevent the RailRiders’ first hit. But in the eighth inning, the Mets defense made the final frame must-see television.
Cordero led off the inning by ripping a screamer down the right field line. First baseman Joe Suozzi picked it deftly though, beating Cordero to the bag easily. Then with two out, shortstop Wyatt Young ranged to his left, picked a chopper by Jamie Westbrook, and spun to make a strong throw to first to take another hit away.
RailRiders manager Shelley Duncan said the issues for his offense were clear, and caused by Vasil’s aggressive approach with his fastball in the heart of the zone early in the game. RailRiders hitters, he said, felt the urge to move the contact zones higher, trying to match Vasil’s aggressiveness.
“Then he started making pitches on the corners,” Duncan shrugged. “He didn’t give our guys a whole lot of pitches to hit, didn’t give our guys a whole lot of at-bats for them to be aggressive by making mistakes over the middle.
“He did a great job. He did an absolutely great job.”
Vasil, who entered the game with a 7.04 ERA in eight Triple-A starts this season, did everything except finish out that no-hitter.
Not that he didn’t want it, of course.
The last time he went into the last inning of a start with a shot at a no-hitter, he wore a Boston College High School uniform in Dorchester, Mass. He remembers it vividly, powering his way through 6 2/3 innings of a seven-inning contest, getting one out away from a perfect game.
The batter hit a double down the line to break it up.
He learned a lesson that night, all those years ago. It’s not about the end, but the overall performance.
One pitch to Lockridge didn’t define the night for Mike Vasil. But it sure would have been nice to get one more shot at it.
“I don’t know if the cameras caught me saying any bad words, not toward him but just like, ‘Ah, come on. Let me get this one,'” Vasil smiled. “Obviously, I wanted to do it, but I will gladly take eight-plus of one-hit ball. Any night of the week.”
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