Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 13, 1993 TAG: 9307130196
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Throw strikes, work quickly and get everybody on the bus and homeward bound as swiftly as humanly possible.
"That's all anybody was talking about before the game," the Prince William Cannons left-hander said. "This is getaway day, so don't fool around."
Pettitte didn't, outdueling the Salem Buccaneers Esteban Loaiza for eight rapid innings on the way to a 3-1 victory Monday night in front of 932 Municipal Field customers.
By the time Matt Dunbar secured the first two outs of the ninth and Andy Croghan came on to face one batter to notch his first save, everybody was heading for the clubhouse after a 2-hour, 4-minute game.
"I was worried we weren't going to get that one over before dark," Salem manager Scott Little said.
Pettitte mowed down the Bucs with a season-high seven strikeouts, yielding only four hits and walking one. The only lapse was Jon Farrell's 16th home run, a leadoff shot in the second inning.
"This is the third time I've gone this far," said Pettitte, who has one complete game. "I felt good. I was on top of the hitters all night. I had everything on. I was throwing my curve for strikes and that helped, plus my change was on and I was spotting the fastball."
Loaiza matched him pitch for pitch until the sixth, when he had a two-out none-on breakdown. Bo Gilliam cued a single to left, and Jorge Posada followed by slashing a double to right. Then Tim Cooper clubbed a shot that would have gone a very long way had the left center-field wall not been in the way. Two runs scored on his double.
"I was pitching him with the fastball away," Loaiza said. "It was on the black part of the plate, but he didn't try to overswing. It was almost a batting-practice swing, but he got the bat on the ball and there's nothing you can do."
Loaiza, who pitched his team-high third complete game, also gave up a leadoff homer to Tate Seefried in the eighth. It was the eighth consecutive game in which the Cannons have homered, but in view of the way Pettitte and his pals were pitching, that turned out to be unnecessary. The sixth was where the game was lost.
"Just a little mental lapse," Bucs pitching coach Dave Rajsich said.
The Bucs got no offensive breaks. Farrell had two hits, but only one runner advanced beyond second after the homer. Chance Sanford had to work for that, stealing two bases after singling. Pettitte only walked one and Dunbar another.
\ BUCSHOTS: Right-hander Mariano De los Santos (9-5, 3.36 earned run average) was promoted to Class AA Carolina and right-hander Troy Mooney will arrive from extended spring training to replace him. Mooney was 1-3 with a 5.91 ERA in 11 games here last year, six of them starts. Either Mooney or Eric Parkinson will move into the starting rotation. . . . The Bucs have today and Wednesday off for the major-league All Star game before returning home for a three-game set with Winston-Salem. . . . Pettitte played on the same San Jacinto (Tex.) Junior College team as Bucs Jeff McCurry and Sanford. . . . Salem lost three of four to the Cannons, including the last three, and are 6-8 against that club. \
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB