Striking out the side in your first inning of work is always a great way to start a game. On Friday, Phillies prospect Luke Gabrysh took that impressive opening to another level.
Pitching for High-A Jersey Shore at ShoreTown Ballpark in Lakewood, N.J., Gabrysh -- a Philadelphia-area product out of St. Joseph’s University -- started off more than strong against Brooklyn, the Mets’ High-A affiliate.
Gabrysh started his day by striking out Cyclones leadoff man Mitch Voit swinging, but the third strike got away and Voit made it to first. That was no problem for Gabrysh, who proceeded to strike out the next three Brooklyn hitters -- John Bay, Corey Collins and Colin Houck -- to retire the side.
That’s right: Gabrysh struck out FOUR hitters in a single inning, a rare feat only achievable with some nasty stuff and a bit of wildness. He became the sixth BlueClaws hurler on record with four K’s in one inning.
It was only the start of a stellar outing for the 2024 15th-round Draft pick, who ended his night with quite the stat line: four no-hit frames, nine strikeouts and a first inning for the record books.
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