THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 3, 1996 TAG: 9607030638
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 63 lines
Mike Fyhrie became the first International League pitcher this season to reach 10 victories and the Norfolk Tides the first team to win 50 games as they topped the Richmond Braves 3-0 Tuesday night at Harbor Park.
The victory was the Tides' 14th in 18 games and left Norfolk (50-32) six games ahead of Columbus in the International League West Division.
Fyhrie is one of the few pitchers on the veteran staff who hasn't already had a taste of the big leagues.
But after winning seven consecutive decisions, can his call be far off?
``I can only hope this is opening some people's eyes,'' said Fyhrie, who is 10-4 with a 3.06 earned run average. ``Mike (Gardiner) was telling me the other day that I'm real close. I don't know what that really means, but he talks to a lot of scouts. Maybe it means fine-tuning certain parts of my game.''
The shutout was Fyhrie's second of the year, his first coming on the second day of the season.
He gave up just one hit in the first six innings and four hits altogether, striking out five and walking two.
``The wrong guy is going to the All-Star Game,'' said Gardiner, who is 8-1 and was selected as a starting pitcher for the Triple-A All-Star Game next Wednesday in Salt Lake City.
Fyhrie, who joined the Tides in late March after a trade with Kansas City for a player to be named, said he experienced a similar run in 1993 with Double-A Memphis in the Royals' farm system.
``But at this level, you're facing good teams every night and better hitters,'' Fyhrie said. ``I don't know how to explain it.''
``He's just staying within himself,'' Tides manager Bobby Valentine. ``He threw about 110 pitches tonight and 70 of them were quality pitches. He had great location and good arm speed.''
Fyhrie's run support came in the fifth and sixth innings.
Roberto Petagine led off the fifth with a double and Kevin Roberson followed with a home run into the Tides' bullpen beyond right, his second since joining the Tides.
Roberson had struggled since being outrighted by the New York Mets a month ago and his average sank to .131 Sunday. But he's had two extra-base hits in the last two nights (he tripled on Monday), and Valentine feels Roberson has turned a corner.
``He's opened up (his stance) a little and is lifting the leg and that gets the head of the bat out there a little quicker,'' Valentine said.
``I've been working on a little bit different timing method,'' Roberson said. ``I've been in a slump since I came down here. But me and Gary (Thurman) did some soft tossing working on a little timing thing today. Sometimes it's something that small. Sometimes it's that minor thing that makes you a half-second quicker.''
In the sixth, Petagine drove home Benny Agbayani with a triple to the gap in left-center for the Tides' other run.
TIDAL WAVES: Tonight's game at Richmond will begin at 7:15. The Braves will give away three new cars prior to the start. ... Backup catcher Chris Howard's wife Tricia gave birth to 8-pound, 11-ounce Cynthia Marie Saturday. It's their second child, joining 2-year-old brother Alec. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by HUY NGUYEN\ The Virginian-Pilot
Tides second baseman Shawn Gilbert watches as shortstop John Mahalik
snares a line drive in the fourth inning against Richmond. by CNB