These columns I write, they are never, ever supposed to be recaps of games that I've covered. Now, I've done things close to that in the past, when I was pressed for time and out of options, but I always felt guilty afterward. This space is supposed to be used for kicking out ideas, for saying things I can't say when I'm a (supposedly) disinterested and objective observer of sports. If I just rehash the details of an athletic event, I'm cheating you and myself, since I'm (supposedly) a writer, and writing like this is supposed to be cathartic for me.
Introductory digression done, let me tell you about the game I witnessed last Friday night, since there was so much from it that I couldn't write about in my original article. If you weren't aware, a week ago today the IronBirds played their first post-season contest, a home game against the Tri-City ValleyCats. The end result was a 1-0 loss for Aberdeen, which doesn't lead one to think of an exciting baseball game, but it was one of the best I've ever covered during my time at The Aegis.
First and foremost, it was a pitching duel, and I've professed my love for those dozens of times in this column. The two hurlers involved were among the best in the New York-Penn League. Aberdeen sent up Sebastian Vader, who finished his season tied for most wins in the league, while Tri-City went with Michael Feliz, the owner of the league's finest ERA. That they are both right-handed and the same height (6'4") are about where the similarities end. Vader is listed at 175 pounds, which leads scouts and baseball nerds to say things like, "hopefully he will continue to fill out as he matures, and increased core strength will add velocity to fastball." Feliz's bio has him at 210 pounds, but I saw the guy up close and he's probably bigger than that. I don't think anyone is ever going to write that Feliz needs to "fill out."
The two pitchers also had completely different stuff. Feliz made the radar gun at Ripken Stadium hit 96 mph a few times, which is the highest I've ever seen it go during my six seasons covering the IronBirds. Vader, who has a super-smooth delivery, can hit 90 mph when he rears back, but his fastball is sneaky, for lack of a better word, and he changes speeds well. The matchup between the two was one you'd see in a baseball movie: a big power pitcher from the Dominican Republic vs. the lanky, smooth-thrower from California.
Whatever their differences, Vader and Feliz got it done, inning after inning, all night long. They both got into jams along the way, but were able to call on some kind of inner reserve and work out of them. Vader retired 19 for the first 20 hitters he faced, and Feliz set down 18 of the first 21 hitters he saw. Vader left after 8-1/3 innings with six strikeouts and five hits on his sheet, while Feliz struck out eight and allowed three hits over seven innings. Both of them left the game having done everything they could to help their team win.
The stats I tossed out were pretty impressive, but the one that I'm still looking at and marveling over is this: Vader and Feliz together faced 55 hitters, and they did not issue one walk. Think about that for a second. That would be impressive, to me, if it were on the box score from a major league post-season game, but in A-Level Short Season, when command is usually a pitcher's biggest problem, and in a playoff game, when you're gripping the ball just a little bit tighter, breathing just a little faster and battling to control your own mind, it's just phenomenal. Beyond showing that the two were supremely focused, it proves that neither Vader nor Feliz was willing to give an inch. They went right at the hitters, and really, that's what I want to see at a ballgame.
After the game, which was decided on a ninth-inning home run by Tri-City's Conrad Gregor, Vader said, "I probably pitched the best game I've pitched in my life." I agree with him, and I'm glad I was there to see it.