THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 1, 1995 TAG: 9505010128
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Patience has never been a word associated with Norfolk Tides lefthander Bill Pulsipher. The supremely talented kid from Fairfax is 21 years old and in a hurry - just to go. To go up to the major leagues. To go out every five days and pitch like a demon. To go at hitters with a cutting fastball and hard curve that decimates their valiant intentions at the plate.
But Sunday at Harbor Park, which clearly has become Pulsipher's Place on the days he starts, Pulsipher was patient in a total way that allowed his gifts to shine. Again. Locked in on a strategy, his mechanics and concentration under control, Pulsipher shut out the Charlotte Knights, 2-0, with a complete-game four-hitter.
It was the Tides' fifth consecutive victory, begun and ended in a brisk one hour and 57 minutes, and it was very similar to his first home start. In that one, the Tides' home opener April 13, Pulsipher blanked Rochester, 3-0, with a two-hitter in 2:05.
That was only 17 days ago, but Pulsipher - now 3-0 at Harbor Park with a 0.35 earned-run average - already is a better pitcher, pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. He has learned, of all things, patience and that has made him doubly dangerous.
``From my observation, he's always battled the hitters, the umpires, everybody, and he'd get upset,'' Apodaca said. ``There were a number of pitches that he could've gotten upset about today, but he stayed very focused, very patient.
``There were very few pitches that he tried to over-do anything with. He trusted his stuff, and he's finding out that his natural good stuff is plenty good.''
Pulsipher struck out a Tides' season-high eight and walked two - back-to-back in the second inning. He allowed no one past first in the final five innings and pitched out of his only trouble - second and third, one out - in the fourth with a short fly ball to center and one of his dozen ground-ball outs.
``What can I tell you? He's great,'' catcher Alberto Castillo said. ``The way he's been pitching, he should be in the majors right now.''
He lifted his record to 4-1 with a 1.62 ERA, and 29 hits allowed and 25 strikeouts in 39 innings. True, Pulsipher was roughed up in his last start in Columbus, where he yielded 12 hits in seven innings and lost.
But he and the Tides (14-8) passed that off as an aberration filled with bloopers and synthetic turf hits that hurt.
No such bad luck Sunday, and in fact some good fortune intervened in the fourth when the leftfield ballgirl interfered with a Kiki Hernandez hit that perhaps could have scored a runner from first, who reached on an error. But the hit was ruled a ground-rule double, preventing the runner from advancing past third.
He needed no other breaks. His counterpart, Miguel Batista, was effective as well, but he walked two in the second before Castillo drove in a run with a two-out single.
Then in the fourth, singles by Ed Alicea, Derek Lee and Omar Garcia produced the game's other run. The Tides got only one more hit, but with Pulsipher intent to catch the start of a late afternoon NBA playoff game, his dominance proceeded on pace, controlled pitch by controlled pitch.
Egged on later, though, Pulsipher admitted he's as itchy as ever to go places, specifically New York.
``I'm impatient, yeah,'' Pulsipher said. ``I tend to get impatient. I mean, I'm young. I say, `Look what I'm doing. What do I need to do?' But sometimes it's not that, it's just sometimes they don't need it right now.''
Pulsipher sipped his drink and grinned.
``But I hope they need it soon.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by Paul Aiken
Bill Pulsipher pitched a complete-game four hitter, striking out a
Tides season-high eight en route to a 2-0 victory over Charlotte.
by CNB