McKenzie fans 14 in dominant outing
While there have been many great pitching performances in the Minor Leagues this season, the one Class A Advanced Lynchburg's Triston McKenzie turned in on Monday may be the most dominant so far.The Indians' No. 3 prospect (No. 50 overall) set a career high as he struck out 14 of
While there have been many great pitching performances in the Minor Leagues this season, the one Class A Advanced Lynchburg's Triston McKenzie turned in on Monday may be the most dominant so far.
The Indians' No. 3 prospect (No. 50 overall) set a career high as he struck out 14 of the 19 batters he faced in six scoreless innings to pace the Hillcats in a 4-1 win over Carolina.
"My command was great, and everything was really working out there," McKenzie told MiLB.com. "I used the changeup intermittently to keep the hitters off balance. I mean, I'm definitely not keeping count of how many strikeouts I have while I'm on the mound, although I knew I had tallied a decent amount. But I was a little surprised when they told me how many I had when I was done."
McKenzie made easy work of a loaded Carolina offense that featured five hitters ranked on the Brewers' Top 30 Prospects list, allowing just two baserunners while throwing 63 of his 92 pitches for strikes. The 19-year-old right-hander recorded 15 swinging strikes in the performance, including eight swinging strikeouts.
McKenzie's outing began inauspiciously, with a five-pitch walk to Carolina leadoff man Corey Ray (Brewers' No. 2). He was dominant after that, though, as McKenzie struck out the side in the first and second innings during a stretch that saw him retire 10 straight batters.
McKenzie kept the Mudcats out of the hit column for 3 1/3 innings before surrendering a one-out single to
McKenzie's gem was his second straight for the Hillcats after he tossed a career-high seven innings -- allowing just an unearned run -- in his previous turn on May 2, and he's allowed more than two earned runs just once in six starts.
Overall, McKenzie (3-2) has pitched to a 1.95 ERA this season, with 44 strikeouts and 20 hits allowed in 32 1/3 innings.
Mike Rosenbaum is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GoldenSombrero.