Former Indians third baseman of the future Andy Marte signed a minorleague contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, officially signaling the end of Marte’s tenure with the Tribe.
Once considered an elite prospect, Marte was ranked the ninth-best prospect in the game by Baseball America in their annual list in 2005, and was among the Top 15 three years in a row. He never reached his potential in Cleveland, as evidenced by his .224/.281/.369 slashline over his five-year Tribe career.
But this Indians fan will remember him not as a mediocre infielder, but a fantastic pitcher.
When the New York Yankees came to town on July 29, Progressive Field was packed with spectators hoping to catch a glimpse of Alex Rodriguez’ 600th home run. But after eight innings, most of the Indians fans had departed as the Yankees jumped out to an 11-4 lead. It was the worst-pitched game I have ever seen.
Desperate and defeated, Manny Acta went to the bullpen and brought out Andy Marte to pitch the ninth. A grounder, a strikeout, and a weak liner later, the inning was over. Yes, I said a strikeout—he got Nick Swisher to whiff on three pitches.
He finished the season (and, so far, his career) with a 0.00 ERA, a 9.0 K/9 rate, and a K:BB ratio of infinity. That’s the kind of guy you’ll want to tell your grandkids about.
So good luck, Andy, and may your pitching record forever remain perfect.
Original Story:
http://www.wahooblues.com/2010/12/02/...
