A Walk-off Grand Slam and a Win on the Mound: Recapping a Wild Night for Will Mathiessen
Baseball is such a great game because you never know what is going to happen on any given night at the ballpark. Case in point, the Pittsburgh Pirates High-A Affiliate, the Greensboro Grasshoppers, were involved in one of the wildest games you will ever see last Friday. The box score looks pretty normal, with the Grasshoppers winning the game 15-14 in the 12th inning. At first glance, the only real question that pops up is where was the pitching? However, when you dive into the box score, you will see something that rarely happens in a game. A position player not only got the win on the mound but hit the walk-off grand slam that won the game for the Grasshoppers. That position player was Grasshoppers first baseman Will Mathiessen, who had been struggling before the game but got the boost he needed by coming through in a big-time situation.
Coming into the game, the Grasshoppers knew they were going to be short on pitching, and were hoping to get some innings from their starter Quinn Priester, and then turn it over to the bullpen. The Grasshoppers only had two available relief pitchers in the game, after Alex Manasa was called up to Triple-A. Priester lasted five innings in the game and gave up two runs on five hits while walking three and striking out four. Then, the Grasshoppers exhausted their two relievers before having to go into extra-innings. Andres Alvarez was the first position player to take the mound in the eighth, and actually pitched well lasting 3.0 innings. Then, it came to the 12th inning and the game was still tied at 8-8. After sitting and watching the game for eight innings it was Will Mathiessen who came in for the 12th and had a big day.
Pitching Woes to Hero
As happens when most position players take the mound, things didn't go well for Mathiessen early on. He gave up three straight hits to start the inning, that netted Hickory two runs and extended their lead to 11-8. After a walk put runners in first and second, Mathiessen got the first out of the inning on a flyout. Then, the big blow happened as Hickory's Ezequiel Duran hit a three-run home run that took the score to 14-8. After that, Mathiessen settled down and got the next two batters out on a pop-out and a flyout to end the inning. In total Mathiessen worked 1.0 inning and allowed six runs, five earned, on four hits while walking a batter. With Hickory having a six-run lead, the game looked all but over for the Grasshoppers, but they still had one more chance in the 12th.
Hickory was at the back-end of their bullpen, but they still had pitchers available and went with right-hander Nic Laio. Laio entered the game with a 5.74 ERA, and while he wasn't the most dominant reliever in the Crawdad's bullpen, he had thrown back-to-back scoreless outings and was trending up. Things looked good early as Laio got a pop out to start the inning, but Jared Triolo quickly got things going with an RBI Single scoring the courtesy runner. A strikeout of Chase Murray was the second out, and with a runner on first or looked like the Grasshoppers were done for. Aaron Shackleford kept the game alive with a single and put runners at the corners with two outs.
Then, the Grasshoppers took off attacking early in the count. It was Blake Sabol who got the scoring started with an RBI single, and Jonah Davis followed with an RBI Double to me the score 14-11 in favor of Hickory. With two outs and two on, it brought light-hitting catcher Grant Koch to the plate. Koch was hitting just .197 when he stepped to the plate and was looking to come through. Koch got ahead in the count 3-1, before fouling off two pitches to bring the Hoppers down to their final strike. However, Koch was able to work the walk and set the stage for the pitcher, first baseman Will Mathiessen. Mathiessen wasn't having the best offensive season himself, but coming off the momentum of being on the mound, he was motivated and coming to the plate in a dream situation, bases loaded two outs and the game on the line.
A Heroes At-Bat
When Mathiessen came to the plate, there was a lot more on the line than the situation dictated. Mathiessen not only represented the winning run, but he was also the pitcher of record in the game. Entering play on Friday, Mathiessen was hitting just .196 and was stepping in for his first plate appearance of the night. The first two pitches of the at-bat were called strikes and Mathiessen was on his last ropes down to his final strike. He would stay alive by fouling off two tough pitches on opposite sides of the plate, before laying off a pitch that just missed the black. With the count at 1-2, a pitch hit the middle part of the plate and Mathiessen got all of it. He smacked his fifth home run of the season, a moon shot to right field, and the Grasshoppers won the game 15-14.
For Mathiessen, it was a special day as he not only hit the walk-off, but he also got his first professional win on the mound. When asked after the game, Mathiessen said, "I didn't even know I was hitting. I was supposed to be on deck, but I was still in the dugout, " said Mathiessen. "Someone says 'you're up.' I get in the box and say to myself whatever happens happens." What happened was he became not only the walk-off hero but the winning pitcher in the game. It was his first career win as a pitcher in his first career pitching performance. It was a night that no one that was at the game will forget for a while.
Mathiessen may never end up making the Major Leagues, but he has a moment in his professional career that he will never forget. Since that walk-off, Mathiessen has raised his batting average to .205 and is hitting .231 in the month of August. Not numbers you really want to see from a first baseman, but he is also still adjusting to High-A ball. He was promoted from Low-A Bradenton on May 22nd and was hitting .256 with two home runs and 11 RBI. At 23-years-old, he is one of the older players down in High-A Ball and will more than likely never see the Major Leagues. But, he will forever be in Greensboro history on a weird and wild night.
Comments
Post a Comment