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Top Moments of 2020: Meyer Strikes Out 15 Utes
10/28/2020 9:11:00 AM | Baseball
As the Gophers inch closer to the spring, Gopher Sports will be reliving some of the team's most memorable moments from the abbreviated 2020 season. Leading off, we flash back to junior right-handed pitcher Max Meyer's historic, 15-strikeout game against Utah on March 6.
Heading into the Friday night outing, Meyer was already riding high after a dominant start against North Carolina one week prior. In that game, Meyer tossed a nine inning, complete game victory against the Tar Heels, fanning 14 batters while allowing just one run on five hits. Based on that elite performance, few could have expected Meyer to be even better in his next start.
Nevertheless, he was. The Woodbury, Minn. native found a way to take his game to another level against the Utes, as it quickly became clear in the early innings that Meyer possessed the stuff to achieve a record night. To begin the game, Meyer struck out each of the first four batters that came to the plate and six of the first eight. Meyer did not surrender a baserunner until the fourth inning – a blemish that was quickly erased in the form of an inning-ending double play.
Entering the eighth inning, Meyer had yet to allow a run, having already registered 12 strikeouts on the night. However, two errors and a walk in the inning loaded the bases before a two-out double brought three runs home – all of which were unearned.
With a slim 4-3 lead, the Gophers concluded the frame still ahead thanks to Meyer's 15th and final strikeout of the game, which also marked his third of the inning. Freshman right-handed pitcher Sam Ireland ultimately recorded the save to secure Meyer's third win of the season.
By the time it was all said and done, Meyer finished with 15 strikeouts across eight innings pitched, allowing just three unearned runs on four hits and two walks. In the process, Meyer became the first Gopher pitcher to strike out 15 batters in a single game since Glen Perkins accomplished the feat in 2004 – a span of 16 years. The record night also signified a new career high in strikeouts for Meyer, topping his previous personal best of 14, which he set one week prior.
In retrospect, Meyer's historic 15-strikeout victory ended up representing the final appearance of his Minnesota career. Less than one week later, the Big Ten Conference announced the cancellation of the remainder of the 2020 season due to ongoing COVID-19 public health concerns.
Although not ideal, the next several months ended up working out quite well for the young righty. On June 10, the Miami Marlins selected Meyer No. 3 overall in the 2020 MLB Draft, tying him with Paul Molitor ('77) as the highest-ever drafted Gopher player and making him the top Gopher pitcher to ever be selected. Meyer also tied Molitor as the Big Ten Conference's second-highest drafted players of all-time, trailing only Mark Mulder of Michigan State, who went No. 2 overall in 1998.
Quotable
"My stuff felt great tonight. I'm just out there trying to pound the zone and set the tempo for the weekend," said Meyer. "Just throw strikes and compete over the plate. The pace of play is a big factor to me. Just getting in there, trusting my defense and throwing strikes."
"Max, again, had outstanding stuff. I thought it might have been the best slider he's had this year. He got some outs with the changeup and located the fastball. Just another outstanding starting performance for him," said head coach John Anderson. "I thought we played better on offense tonight. We were able to get a couple of two-out, RBI hits that we've really struggled with so far this year. I thought we had better at bats throughout the lineup and throughout the game. We're going in the right direction. Hopefully, tomorrow we can clean up some more things and keep getting a little bit better."
Heading into the Friday night outing, Meyer was already riding high after a dominant start against North Carolina one week prior. In that game, Meyer tossed a nine inning, complete game victory against the Tar Heels, fanning 14 batters while allowing just one run on five hits. Based on that elite performance, few could have expected Meyer to be even better in his next start.
Nevertheless, he was. The Woodbury, Minn. native found a way to take his game to another level against the Utes, as it quickly became clear in the early innings that Meyer possessed the stuff to achieve a record night. To begin the game, Meyer struck out each of the first four batters that came to the plate and six of the first eight. Meyer did not surrender a baserunner until the fourth inning – a blemish that was quickly erased in the form of an inning-ending double play.
Entering the eighth inning, Meyer had yet to allow a run, having already registered 12 strikeouts on the night. However, two errors and a walk in the inning loaded the bases before a two-out double brought three runs home – all of which were unearned.
With a slim 4-3 lead, the Gophers concluded the frame still ahead thanks to Meyer's 15th and final strikeout of the game, which also marked his third of the inning. Freshman right-handed pitcher Sam Ireland ultimately recorded the save to secure Meyer's third win of the season.
By the time it was all said and done, Meyer finished with 15 strikeouts across eight innings pitched, allowing just three unearned runs on four hits and two walks. In the process, Meyer became the first Gopher pitcher to strike out 15 batters in a single game since Glen Perkins accomplished the feat in 2004 – a span of 16 years. The record night also signified a new career high in strikeouts for Meyer, topping his previous personal best of 14, which he set one week prior.
In retrospect, Meyer's historic 15-strikeout victory ended up representing the final appearance of his Minnesota career. Less than one week later, the Big Ten Conference announced the cancellation of the remainder of the 2020 season due to ongoing COVID-19 public health concerns.
Although not ideal, the next several months ended up working out quite well for the young righty. On June 10, the Miami Marlins selected Meyer No. 3 overall in the 2020 MLB Draft, tying him with Paul Molitor ('77) as the highest-ever drafted Gopher player and making him the top Gopher pitcher to ever be selected. Meyer also tied Molitor as the Big Ten Conference's second-highest drafted players of all-time, trailing only Mark Mulder of Michigan State, who went No. 2 overall in 1998.
Quotable
"My stuff felt great tonight. I'm just out there trying to pound the zone and set the tempo for the weekend," said Meyer. "Just throw strikes and compete over the plate. The pace of play is a big factor to me. Just getting in there, trusting my defense and throwing strikes."
"Max, again, had outstanding stuff. I thought it might have been the best slider he's had this year. He got some outs with the changeup and located the fastball. Just another outstanding starting performance for him," said head coach John Anderson. "I thought we played better on offense tonight. We were able to get a couple of two-out, RBI hits that we've really struggled with so far this year. I thought we had better at bats throughout the lineup and throughout the game. We're going in the right direction. Hopefully, tomorrow we can clean up some more things and keep getting a little bit better."
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