Former CMU player earns first win in an Arizona Diamondbacks jersey
The Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants found themselves needing extra innings to decide a winner Sunday.
Diamondbacks reliever David Hernandez pitched a perfect eighth and closer J.J. Putz worked two shutout innings in the ninth and 10th, but with the score still knotted, a call was made to the bullpen.
Josh Collmenter finally had his shot.
“Just to run out to the mound is something I’ll never forget and to run into the stadium from the bullpen and see all the people cheering in the pressure situation; it was the best,” he said.
The rookie right-hander took the mound, pitching two perfect innings while striking two and earning his first career win. It was good to face Darren Ford and Buster Posey in the 11th – two batters he had pitched to during his minor-league run, Collmenter said.
“The way it worked out, it couldn’t have gone any better,” Collmenter said.
With right fielder Justin Upton on second, shortstop Stephen Drew hit a single into the outfield, sending the game-winning run across the plate.
“You see people celebrate walk-offs on SportsCenter and to be a part of that was a little surreal,” Collmenter said.
Collmenter’s move to the Diamondbacks bullpen came when reliever Aaron Heilman was placed on the 15-day disabled list with tendonitis in his right shoulder.
Heilman’s recovery seems to be on track, and manager Kirk Gibson said the reliever would be eligible to return from the DL Friday, according to a report by Yahoo! Sports. The right-hander is 1-0 this season, with a 12.15 ERA in four appearances.
“I didn’t know how long I’d be up here and I knew I had at least the time Heilman would be on the DL,” Collmenter said. “I just wanted to use this as sort of an audition in case anyone else went down or any other spots opened up. For me to have a strong start out of the gate helped the confidence.”
The call up made him the 14th former CMU player to reach the MLB.
“Baseball is tough and to see all the different guys there and to see one of your guys make it to the big leagues, that’s good,” said CMU head coach Steve Jaksa.
“I think Josh is one of those guys that wherever he goes, whatever level, he just finds a way to get people out and get the win.
Following his debut, Collmenter has appeared in three games, giving up seven hits and two runs during six innings. His 2.25 ERA is the third lowest on the active roster.
The Transition
In 2007, Collmenter waited patiently as 462 players were chosen in the MLB draft, including Detroit Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello (27th overall). Finally his sigh of relief came in the 15th round, when the Diamondbacks took a shot at the former Chippewa.
That day started a five-year expedition for Collmenter, Central Michigan’s all-time strikeout leader (288).
As a Chippewa, the Homer native posted a 22-6 career record in three years before entering the draft, including a 9-4 junior season in which he recorded 117 strikeouts and earned Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year honors.
Jaksa had plenty to say about Collmenter’s talent, but he said it would be rude not to talk about him as a person.
“(Josh) had a profound effect on those around him,” he said. “He was a very good teammate and a good player. He wasn’t cocky, though he had a lot of confidence.”
Collmenter said the biggest difference since leaving CMU has been the skill of the hitters in connecting on multiple different pitches.
“In college there’s a lot of guys that can really hit one pitch well, but here guys are adjusting from at-bat to at-bat,” he said. “If you get them out on one pitch one time, they’re looking for it the next time. Learning how to set batters up is probably the biggest difference.”
The right-hander moved from Single-A level in 2007, to the Triple-A level in 2010. He made 10 starts in 2010 for the Reno Aces, recording a 5.77 ERA.
“Though he bounced between Double-A and Triple-A quite a few times, he never let it bother him,” Jaksa said. “He would just go out there, work and things would take care of themselves.”
In 2011, he had just one start for Reno before being called up, giving up two runs (one earned) in six innings and striking out seven.
‘It’s been a lot of fun, and I haven’t been as star struck as I thought I’d be,” Collmenter said. “Getting to know guys who for so long existed just on a roster or on the TV has been probably one of the most rewarding experiences to realize they’re just normal guys like you.”
