THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 13, 1996 TAG: 9606130530
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY AARON PORTZLINE, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: COLUMBUS, OHIO LENGTH: 47 lines
Tony Larson's career was moving backward in late April. After four rough outings at Double-A Binghamton, Larson was sent down to Class A St. Lucie.
But Wednesday night, Larson looked like the real deal, pitching the Tides to a 5-4 win over the Columbus Clippers.
Larson, pitching for Robert Person, who was recalled Tuesday by the New York Mets, allowed six hits and three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings with one walk and one strikeout. He looked nothing like the guy who was battered in Binghamton, allowing 12 earned runs in 13 1/3 innings.
``I was down when I got demoted,'' Larson said. ``This makes me feel good. In no way does it mean I'm a Triple-A pitcher, it was just a good night for me. I'm very happy right now.''
Tides manager Bobby Valentine wasn't sure what to expect.
``I've seen him pitch once before, but I didn't really know what he would offer us,'' Valentine said. ``It was more than we could have asked for. He was fabulous.''
Larson constantly kept Columbus off-balance with change-ups. Though he recorded just one strikeout, several of the Clippers' outs were weak grounders or harmless popups.
``(Tides' catcher Alberto) Castillo kept calling for the change-up,'' Larson said. ``He said Columbus was a real aggressive team and they'd go after it. He was right.''
Norfolk's offense provided Larson with an early lead, scoring two runs in the second after two outs were recorded. Matt Franco hit a home run to right-center and Castillo had an RBI double to bring in Luis Rivera, who singled.
Norfolk extended the lead to 4-1 in the fifth when Alex Ochoa skidded a two-run triple down the first-base line, scoring Jason Hardtke and Shawn Gilbert.
Larson was on cruise control until the sixth. He allowed a one-out double to Jorge Posada and a two-out, soaring home run to Matt Luke before leaving the game with a 4-3 lead.
But Norfolk's bullpen was again stellar. Jason Bullard, Mark Lee and Derek Wallace allowed just one run and three hits in the final 3 1/3 innings. Wallace gained his 10th save.
Larson better cherish this win for a while. After the game, he was sent to Binghamton. This time, he's determined to stick at the Double-A level.
``This is good for my confidence,'' he said. ``Now I've got to go to Binghamton and prove I belong there.'' by CNB