BASEBALL: Temple City grad Tucker collects first MLB win

Temple City High School graduate Ryan Tucker, called up by Marlins, collects his first big-league victory in Florida’s 9-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds Sunday.

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Above: Temple City grad Ryan Tucker.

Vs. Reds
Name IP H R ER BB K ERA*
R Tucker

(W, 1-0) 5.0 2 1 1 5 6 1.80

Click on the link to read the reaction story from yours truly, and the game story from MLB.com.

Tucker living a dream
Temple City grad wins Marlins debut

By Scott Galetti, Staff Writer
Temple City High School graduate Ryan Tucker still considers himself a little kid playing baseball.
On Sunday, Tucker was given the opportunity to achieve the life-long dream of pitching in the major leagues.
Two days after being called up by the Florida Marlins, Tucker not only made his Major League debut, he collected his first victory as the Marlins beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-2.
“It was something I’ve dreamt about for a while,” Tucker said by phone.
Tucker, 21, was 4-2 for the Double-A Carolina Mudcats in 12 starts with a Southern League-leading 1.41 ERA before his phone rang on Friday. It was a call he’d been dreaming of since he was a child.
“I got the call on Friday and I was just nervous the whole day,” Tucker said.
He didn’t show it on the field, however.
With his parents, sister and girlfriend in attendance, Tucker displayed a fastball in the low- to mid-90s and a solid changeup in beating the Reds.
Tucker allowed one run on two hits with five walks and six strikeouts in five innings.
“I was just trying to keep my emotions under control,” Tucker said. “As the fifth inning came around, I just decided to take it all in and thought `Wow, this is actually happening.’ ”
Temple City coach Barry Bacon wanted to be in Florida, but watched the game on television like a proud parent.
“I was really excited for the young man and his family,” he said. “I was very happy for his parents Tim and Stacy.”
Cincinnati’s lone run came in the second inning on an RBI single by Reds pitcher Aaron Harang.
“His mechanics have changed, but he had the same look he had in high school that he he was going to get the batter out,” Bacon said. “He was very composed Sunday.”
Now that he has that first win under his belt, Tucker is scheduled to start Friday on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays.
And he still expects to feel the butterflies.
“The nerves are going to still be there, and I just have to stay focused and let the last one go because there are obviously going to be others,” he said.
Tucker was an All-CIF selection in 2003, 2004 and 2005, the Rio Hondo League Player of the Year in 2004 and co-Player of the Year in 2005 and a two-time Pasadena Star-News Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.
He was a supplemental first-round pick (34th overall) by the Marlins in 2005 after going 6-4 with a 1.13 ERA and 112 strikeouts during his senior season.
“I remember when he was a sophomore, I had a meeting with the players telling them what it’s going to take to get to the JC, university and professional level,” Bacon said. “I told them it was hard to get there, but he said from the back of the room, `I’m going to make it.’ From then on, I believed he would.”

Tucker wins debut as Marlins roll
Rookie righty wild but impressive in first Major League victory
By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com
MIAMI – The Marlins may have just found a new arm.
On Friday night, Ryan Tucker got word that he was being brought up from Double-A Carolina and would start the third of a four-game series against the Reds. The 6-foot-2 right-hander remembers pacing around his house all of Saturday trying to calm himself down because he was so worried about how well he would do.
After five solid innings on Sunday, Tucker’s anxiety was put to rest.
The California native allowed just one run on two hits, and the Marlins pounded out 13 hits en route to a 9-2 win in front of 12,444 at Dolphin Stadium. After dropping eight of 10 games, the Marlins have now won two straight riding a high from Cody Ross’ game-winning homer on Saturday.
Tucker will take Burke Badenhop’s spot in the rotation — for now — and start again on Friday against the Rays.
“He mixed his pitches and he pitched well — he really did,” Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “He pitched inside, wasn’t afraid. We’ll see what happens five days from now if he could do it again.
“It was a tough 10-day stretch, and then we won some ballgames like we did last night. But we were able to come out [Sunday], pitch pretty decently and swing the bats.”
After the game, with a media circle around him, Gonzalez handed Tucker the scorecard from his first Major League win. Tucker — whose parents, sister and girlfriend came to the game — threw his fastball in the low- to mid-90s, topping out at 95 mph twice. He used his changeup as a secondary alternative and made one pitch he probably wished he could’ve had back — a 3-2, get-me-over fastball to opposing pitcher Aaron Harang that resulted in a two-out, RBI single in the second inning.
“I was still a little nervous in the first two innings, but I did what I can to settle down and control the walks,” said Tucker, who left after throwing 89 pitches — 45 for strikes — and walking five. “I just told myself to relax, take a deep breath and make pitches.
“I’m going to stay as long as they want me, and hopefully, I could keep giving them wins.”
Tucker was taken by the Marlins as a compensation pick following the first round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. After posting a 4.45 ERA in his first three years in the Minor Leagues, the California native broke out in a big way with the Mudcats this season, going 4-2 in 12 starts with a Southern League-leading 1.41 ERA.
“He pitched with his fastball most of the five innings,” Gonzalez said. “I would be stupid to say that he wasn’t nervous. … I get nervous every game. But I don’t think he showed it.”
Florida made sure it provided plenty of support for the rookie.
After going through a brutal slump in May, Hanley Ramirez continued his recent surge by going deep twice and knocking in four runs. Ramirez is riding a six-game hitting streak and now has 14 home runs on the year.
“I’ve just kept my mind on the game, and if I can’t do it with the bat, I try to do it on defense,” Ramirez said about his thought process through the slump. “I’ve been a little more patient at the plate. Hopefully, I can just keep it going.”
The Marlins lit up Harang for eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings. After picking up a run in each of the third and fourth innings, the Marlins opened it up in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run homer by Ramirez and a two-run double by Dan Uggla. In the sixth, the Marlins’ double-play combo came through again, leading to three runs from Ramirez’s second two-run homer and an Uggla sacrifice fly.
“We swung the bats good today,” Gonzalez said. “We were able to add runs in the game, and we pitched well. When you have that combination, you have a good chance to win ballgames.”
Joe Nelson, Justin Miller and Kevin Gregg combined to throw four innings of one-run ball out of the bullpen to close the game.
Wes Helms made his second straight start for Mike Jacobs even though Jacobs — a left-handed hitter — might have benefitted from the Reds’ righty starter. Gonzalez and Jacobs both said the first baseman is not being bothered by a left quad injury that hampered him earlier this season.

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