Tater Talk: 2042.026 – "Loudmouth" Silences Critics with No-No

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Tater Talk: 2042.026 – "Loudmouth" Silences Critics with No-No

Post by jleddy » Fri May 08, 2020 4:41 am

Image The following exclusive is from Will Bigby, lead baseball correspondent for Treasure Valley Sports. Will was in attendance on August 17th and witnessed Boise starter Júlio Alicea's no-hitter performance against the Charlotte Cougars. The 8-0 no-hitter was the first in the BBA in 2042 and the second in Boise's franchise history. Will compiled interviews after the game to create an oral history of the day's event.
* * * * * * *
Júlio Alicea: "Warming up in the bullpen, Jumah (pitching coach Jumah Hamid) told me, 'You’ve got good stuff today.' I said, 'Yeah, not bad.' But I'd thrown well in warm ups before and I've had some poor outings recently, so I didn't think about it much."

Jumah Hamid: "Júlio did look good. His fastball had a little extra zip on it and he was really pounding the mitt. I know he's had a tough start to his Boise career, so I wanted to give him a little boost of confidence."

Joey Newhouse, Cougars' lead-off hitter: "I've had good success of Júlio in my career [Newhouse was 8-for-19, .421, against Alicea leading up to the game]. I was seeing the ball well in the first inning and I got him to a full-count, but he threw a filthy splitter that caught the bottom of the zone and I froze."

Alicea: “As soon as I started the game, I was in the strike zone. I didn’t shake off Hank (catcher Hank Brewer) one time. He called the pitch, I’d throw the pitch. I didn’t even walk around the mound. Just grab the ball, pitch. Grab the ball, pitch.”

Hank Brewer: “Júlio’s stuff was unbelievable, his splitter above everything else. It was heavy and he was spotting it. Guys were swinging and missing. I remember Nino (Cougars' right fielder Sebastian Fredesso) swinging and missing by like two feet, it seemed like.”

Sebastian Fredesso: “I was helpless up there. It’s the worst feeling. He was absolutely dominant. He got me three times and I had no chance.”

Brewer: “After he struck out the side in the first, I could tell Júlio was feeling it tonight.”

Aaron Stone, Cougars' catcher and clean-up hitter: “His stuff was electric. As a catcher, you can tell when the opponent's pitcher is dealing early. It kind of had the feeling from the beginning that it was going to be a tough day to hit or score runs or be productive.”

Alicea: “I knew in the fourth inning I had something going on.”

Dante Brookstone, Cougars' third base coach: “I remember the ump at third base (Grant Slate), in the fourth or fifth inning, he said to me ‘We could see something today.’ And I said, ‘You’re right, we could see something. His shit looks good.’ I don’t think we were in too many hitters’ counts. And when we were, he dotted it up.”

Newhouse: “Yeah, his splitter was incredible but his breaking ball was really working, too, both slider and curveball. As the game went on, he lived off those pitches. He started everyone with a breaking ball, and not just a ‘get me over’ pitch. Every one was sharp. We were dealing with four plus-plus pitches. We looked pretty silly today.”

Rashardo Menne III, Cougars' third baseman: "When I stepped into the box in the fifth inning, the only thing I could think about was getting on-base. We had to jump start the offense somehow."

Alicea: “That at-bat was tough. I was hitting Hank's spots but Menne fouled three or four off. He was guessing right and his timing was one. I tried to nibble but threw two bad pitches to walk him.”

Newhouse: “Once I drew the walk, first I was shocked. [laughing] But as I jogged to first, I could hear our dugout start to get loud, energized. It was exactly what we needed.”

Lloyd Braun, Spuds second baseman: "It was just a walk, but we wanted to pick Júlio up. When that grounder came right to me and we turned two, I started to get excited."

Alicea: "The most scary play was in the seventh inning, the ball Marcos Gonzáles hit between third and shortstop. Sancho (third baseman Sancho Castillo) dove for it, and then Goldie (shortstop Motonobu Yamashita) grabbed it and threw to first. If Sancho tipped it, it was going to be a base hit."

Sancho Castillo: “You can’t let a ball go through the infield without at least diving for it. I wasn’t even close to it. I remember diving thinking that was the end of it. And then looking up and there’s Goldie seemingly out of nowhere. He's a stud out there. He had probably a better chance of back-handing and throwing him out at first than me diving, even if I caught it. I’m sure it worked out in every way.”

Motonobu Yamashita: “It wasn't that tough of a play for me, but if Sancho catches a piece of it, I think it would have gone out of my reach and into left. I've never been a part of a no-hitter before, so I really wanted to make the play for Júlio."

Alicea: “When I got to the eighth, it got to my mind. And when I came out for the ninth, I had chills. The crowd was cheering like crazy. I thought, ‘I’ve gone this far, I’ve got to go out there and finish it.’ That was in my mind.”

Brewer: “In the ninth, he was at like 99 pitches, so he still had some in the tank. We were going to keep attacking, especially with an 8-0 lead. But to see the first two guys swing on the first pitch and both hit lazy grounders? I mean, we'll take it!"

Luis Cruz, Cougars shortstop and batter with two outs in the top of the ninth inning: "It felt like a playoff game. The crowd was loud and I was actually nervous. No one wants to make the last out."

Alicea: "I got Luis to chase out of the zone on the first pitch, a high fastball. I totally missed Hank's spot. I think it was nerves and adrenaline. Then that second pitch...[laughs]"

Brewer: “So he overthrew to start off Luis, then he throws a curveball that traveled maybe fifty-five feet before bouncing and going to the backstop. I called a quick time and just wanted to calm Júlio down."

Alicea: "As good as I was feeling all night, I needed that moment on the mound with the guys. They were just telling me "Last guy, let's go. We got you." and stuff like that. It really helped."

Braun: "For a guy nicknamed Loudmouth, he sure was tongue-tied on the mound at that moment. Yeah, he's a veteran but you could tell he was a little nervous. Can you blame him?"

Alicea: "So it's a 1-and-1 count and Hank threw two fingers down for the curve. I actually got it over the plate this time and Cruz fouled it straight back. Then Hank signaled for the cutter and it ran in on Luis' hands and he had no chance. It was incredible. A no-hitter, man!"

Castillo: “The last out, it was like, ‘Oh, my god, he did it!’ It was wild afterward. But in the moment you’re just so aware. ‘OK, if the ball is hit anywhere near me, I have to dive. I have to make the play.’ ”

Brewer: “When that third strike hit my glove, it was just an explosion of emotions. On my part, definitely. When I looked up and saw him, it was a great moment. I just ran out and grabbed the kid and then everyone dog-piled.”

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Re: Tater Talk: 2042.025 – "Loudmouth" Silences Critics with No-No

Post by HoosierVic » Fri May 08, 2020 6:36 am

This was really well done, Joe. Nice way to preserve a slice of your team history.

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Re: Tater Talk: 2042.026 – "Loudmouth" Silences Critics with No-No

Post by CTBrewCrew » Sat May 16, 2020 9:44 pm

Just updated in the Viz :)
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Re: Tater Talk: 2042.026 – "Loudmouth" Silences Critics with No-No

Post by RonCo » Sun May 17, 2020 12:20 pm

Outstanding.
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