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Mefford Becomes Strikeout King as Clowns Lose Late

With all time Indianapolis great Malcolm Bush watching from the front row owners’ box, Nate Mefford stared down Jonathan Hanbury. It was the second inning of a 0-0 ballgame; Mefford had struck out the side in the first, but allowed a leadoff double to Jimmy Thomas to lead off the next frame. Hanbury took strike one, then fouled off a Mefford fastball on the outside corner at the knees. The crowd roared in anticipation, then groaned as Hanbury laid off a splitter, a low ball one. Mefford settled, reared back, and hurled a fastball, at the letters. Hanbury cut, but there was no way he could catch up to it, off balance after two low. The scoreboard flashed, the crowd erupted. The all-time NABF record had been Malcolm Bush’s for well over a decade. Now it was shared.

Mefford paused, and tipped his cap to the Indianapolis crowd. But they settled quickly, because that was just a warm-up to the pitch they really wanted.

Andres Murillo made Mefford work for it. He took two to start - a fastball wide, and a splitter that fell out of the zone. But Mefford slid a fastball over the outside corner for strike one, then got Murillo to swing through another split. Mefford turned back to the heater, then, with two high hard ones that Murillo managed to get a piece of. To that point, Mefford had gotten what he needed off his fastball and his splitter, not once over six batters throwing the pitch that had made him an all-time great, so maybe it came as a surprise to Murillo as he uncorked his swing, only to flail at the best changeup in the majors. Nate Mefford’s 3,3474th strikeout victim watched as the scoreboard flashed again, as fireworks went up over Anthem Stadium. The Big Tent, as fans called it, was filled to capacity as Clowns fans witnessed Bush come on to the field to shake Mefford’s hand and give him a ball with the number 3,473 crossed out, and 3,474 beneath it.

Once the ceremony had concluded, the game could resume. Mefford collected himself, and gathered the first non-strikeout out of his day, a flyball from Roberto Martinez that ended the second. He walked off to another ovation, but the crowd’s attention now turned to the ballgame itself: the Clowns had dropped to a tie for second with the Senators in the D4 East, a game back of the Hornets. They needed this one.

So did Albuquerque. A 2-5 start to June had dropped them to last place on the 6th following a 13-0 drubbing at the hands of San Antonio. But they took two of three from Phoenix, and now sat at 28-27, tied with Milwaukee and St. Louis, five games back. Amidst Mefford’s record-setting first two innings, Dukes starter Brad Heyer had set down three in a row in the first; now, after a long, interrupted second, he went back to work striking out two of his own and allowing just a single.

Mefford hit batter Randy Ahern to open the third, but got through the rest easily with two more K’s and a groundout. Heyer began his half well with a strikeout of Gardner, but Indy’s #9 hitter, catcher Ryan Laier, roped a double to right, taking third on a Justin Wilson groundout to second. That left it to Zach Weaver with two outs, and the veteran 3B came through with a laser beam into left for a run-scoring single. Heyer got Zach McKinley to end it, but the Clowns and Mefford had an early lead.

The Dukes answered with a double of their own in the top of the fourth, a one out liner down the left field line off the bat of Jimmy Thomas. But Mefford stranded him there to keep the Dukes off the board; he did the same in the 5th, setting down three batters on a groundout and two Ks. Heyer matched him in the bottom of the inning - a fly out and two Ks of his own, to send it to the sixth with the Clowns up 1-0.

The Dukes came out swinging against Mefford in the sixth. Mike Jordan recovered from an 0-2 count to rocket a double off the RF wall to open the frame. Jason Taylor singled into center. Despite his mediocre speed, Jordan had gotten a good jump and got the go-ahead sign from the 3B coach, but the throw from Jake Sprague in center was a perfect one, one hopping to Laier who got the tag down in time, killing the rally and securing the first out. A grounder and a strikeout - Mefford’s 11th of the game - put Albuquerque away.

Indianapolis added a second run in the bottom of the inning on a walk and a single by the Zachs, and a deep sac fly by Cody Lehr. Though Zach McKinley reached third he was stranded there; still, a 2-0 lead seemed like a lot headed into the seventh against Mefford.

But Albuquerque rallied. A one out walk by Murillo, who had been a historic out earlier, set it up. Carl Faux doubled to put men on second and third, and a Randy Ahern groundout got the Dukes on the board. Then D.J. Moskowitz drilled a ball to right that hit just at the base of the wall and sprung away from McKinley, scoring Faux and allowing the speedy Moskowitz to slide into third with a triple. Mike Jordan singled to score Moskowitz, and the Dukes finished their half of the 7th suddenly in command of the game.

Indy came back in the bottom of the inning, with back to back doubles at the bottom of the lineup, from Gardner and Laier that drove Heyer from the game. Mefford,seeking a win in his historic game, set the Dukes down in the eighth despite a single, giving Indianapolis a shot in the eighth; they took it, as Coy Lehr led off with a walk, and scored after stealing second, getting singled to third, and coming in on Jake Sprague’s sac fly. 4-3 Clowns, with just the ninth to go.

But Albuquerque refused to die, and was granted new life when Mefford - spent after eight innings - was pulled for the closer Tom Newell. Newell got Faux on strikes, but Randy Ahern, Albuquerque’s hottest hitter, doubled. Newell hit SS Travis Winder to put the go-ahead run on, but got Jordan on strikes for the second out, then worked Jason Tayor to a 1-2 count.

Just when it looked like the Clowns might take it, Taylor grounded a ball deep into the 5-6 hole. Jason Gardner gloved it, but there was no chance to get any runner. Bases loaded. Chris Trauth had come in the previous inning as a defensive replacement, though, and was now Albuquerque’s last shot. He came through, with a bloop single that seemed to hang forever. With two outs, the runners had been off on contact, and as the Clowns frantically came together to field it, the throw was off-line, and the go-ahead run crossed. 5-4 Dukes.

T.J. Pena came on for the bottom of the inning, but there was no drama to be had by then. Laier K’d, and Justin Wilson grounded out. Zach Weaver drew a 2-2 count, but in this game that had been defined by the K, it seemed only fitting it would end with one. Pena froze the 3B on changeup, and the Dukes won 5-4.