ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 2, 1996 TAG: 9606030142
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
Another step was taken Saturday in the growth process of Doug Million: He has reached the point where he can look at a one-hitter with some degree of disappointment.
Such was the case after Million, the 20-year-old Salem Avalanche left-hander, lost a no-hitter in the ninth inning before settling for a 4-0 victory over the Frederick Keys.
A game that will go down as the first shutout and first complete game of Million's professional career will most likely be remembered for what it was not: a no-hitter.
That's unfortunate, because a crowd of 3,826 at Memorial Stadium got to see how good Million can be, despite the fact that Denio Gabriel's high-chop grounder bounded over Million's head and into center field to lead off the ninth. Second baseman Keith Grunewald and shortstop Kyle Houser closed in, but could not come close to making a play.
``It seemed like it took forever for the ball to get through,'' said Million. ``I just looked for one of the infielders to come out of nowhere. I guess I felt a little down, but I knew what I had to do.''
Other than that, Million was more baffling than the screenplay for ``Mission: Impossible'' in striking out eight and walking four in a 108-pitch outing highlighted by sinking two-seam fastballs, a curveball that Salem manager Bill McGuire calls ``big-league'' and a nasty changeup.
``If he pitches like that,'' said Salem pitching coach Bill Champion, ``he'll determine his own future.''
The future never looked brighter than it did Saturday, and it wasn't because of the full moon that rose above the left-field wall, although it was very nearly a night of unusual happenings. Million, the Colorado Rockies' first pick in the 1994 amateur draft, not only improved his record to 5-3, he snapped a five-game losing streak for the Avalanche (30-25).
``The way we've been going, we needed a pitching performance like that,'' said McGuire.
Drafted out of Sarasota (Fla.) High School in 1994, Million struggled to a 5-7 record for Salem last season. He walked 79 batters in 111 innings. This year, the walks are fewer, the strikes more prevalent.
``Last year, he would make one quality pitch to a hitter, three bad pitches and one mediocre,'' said Champion. ``This year, the percentage of quality pitches in the strike zone is better.''
Million even looks more mature on the mound, sporting a goatee that makes his 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame look a bit more devilish.
``It seems like I've been pitching a lot longer than I have,'' he said. ``I feel like I have a bit more experience than I had last year.''
The tough-luck loser was Frederick's Sidney Ponson (0-1), who was done in by three unearned runs in the second.
Both pitchers possibly could have thrown goose eggs all night had the Keys' infield not unraveled in the second. The inning began with Nate Holdren's routine grounder rolling under a backhanded attempt by shortstop Eddy Martinez.
That error was compounded when third baseman Rick Short fielded Will Scalzitti's grounder and threw wildly to second. Chad Gambill looped a single into right field to load the bases for Earl Cunningham, who lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Holdren.
Ponson looked like he might wriggle out of trouble when he fanned Blake Barthol for the second out, but Steve Bernhardt roped a clutch two-run double to left-center to make it 3-0.
SNOWBALLS: Salem pitcher Luther Hackman, whose nose was shattered by a line drive off Eric Chavez in Friday's game, was taken to the hospital again Saturday after he felt dizzy in the clubhouse before the game. He spent only a couple of hours in the hospital before returning to the ballpark. ... Cunningham was a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in 1989 and began his career with the Appalachian League's Wytheville Cubs.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines KEYWORDS: BASEBALLby CNB