By:Chris Aliano
10/05/2012
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Former North Adams SteepleCat great and two-year Major League Baseball pro Evan Scribner is headed to the postseason, along with the rest of the Oakland Athletics, for the first time in his career and the first time since the A’s won the American League West Division back in 2006.
Scribner,
who recently was featured in a profile by the NECBL’s Don Leypoldt, earned his second victory of the season after pitching three scoreless innings of relief, during which he only yielded two hits and struck out two while walking none. The A’s, meanwhile, rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to overwhelm the Texas Rangers, 12-5, in the regular-season finale.
The A’s return to the postseason for the first time in six years, and Scribner will likely play a key role as a member of one of the strongest bullpens in the American League. The 6-3, 190-pound righty posted a career-best 2.55 ERA with one save, one hold, 30 strikeouts and a 1.19 WHIP over 30 appearances this spring, summer and – now – fall.
Oakland entered the final three games of the season sitting two back of the Rangers and needing a sweep to avoid having to play in the winner-take-all, one-game wildcard this afternoon. The A’s managed to do just that, and will now travel to Detroit to play the Tigers this weekend to start the best-of-five ALDS.
Scribner, of course, was magnificent during his only season in the Berkshires back in 2005. The former Central Connecticut State star fanned 48 while yielding just eight free passes during that summer with the SteepleCats.
He spent the earlier portion of this season with Triple-A Sacramento before returning to The Bigs on June 6, and ever since has helped bolster a bullpen that owns a 2.94 ERA – the second-best in the American League and third-best in the Majors.
The New Milford, Conn., native and the rest of the A’s will enjoy a few days off before postseason play begins for them this Saturday in Detroit. The winner of that series will advance to play the winner of the New York Yankees versus the winner of the wildcard matchup (Texas-Baltimore).
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