A nickname like “Tugboat” will garner instant attention from just about anyone. That’s what Matt Wilkinson is known for, the Cleveland Guardians left-handed prospect’s nickname attracts anyone as much as his starts on the mound. Thursday night was no joke for the 21-year-old, who posted six hitless frames en route to the Hillcats win over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Wilkinson struck out 15 of the 19 batters he faced and that’s including the first seven he faced. He then capped his night by punching out the side in the sixth inning.
Tugboat Wilkinson is my new favorite player
Oh yeah, and he stuck out 15 in just 6 innings tonight
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) April 26, 2024
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Wilkinson joined some Hall of Fame company with his performance for Single-A Lynchburg on Thursday night.
Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson Strikes out 15 Without Allowing a Hit
Wilkinson became the fifth MiLB pitcher to strike out 15 batters without allowing a hit since 2005. Cade Cavalli (June 12, 2021), Chris Devenski (September 1, 2012), David Francis (July 22, 2008) and Isaac Silva (August 17, 2012) are the only other minor league pitchers to do so. From an MLB standpoint, Wilkinson joined Hall of Famer Warren Spahn (Brewers, September 16, 1960) Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers, June 18, 2014), Max Scherzer (Nationals, October 3, 2015) and Don Wilson (Astros, June 18, 1967).
The only pitcher to hit that mark three times in their career? Nolan Ryan– for the Angels twice on July 15, 1973 and September 28, 1974. The third one came with the Texas Rangers on May 1, 1991.
“Being in the same names as those guys makes me want to keep working even harder to get where I want to be,” Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson Is Rolling with the Punches
The southpaw from Ladner, B.C. has allowed one run in 14 2/3 innings over his last three starts. In those two starts, Wilkinson put up nine strikeouts and eight in the other. He owns an incredible 0.44 ERA to go with 41 strikeouts for the season. The hard-throwing pitcher was selected in the 10th round by Cleveland in last year’s MLB Draft. Following his first season at Central Arizona, Wilkinson pitched for the Okotoks Dawgs of the Western Canadian Baseball League. It was enough to prepare him for a stint with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, one filled with top college talent across the board.
Moving forward with his development, Wilkinson and the Guardians want him to complement the rest of his repertoire.
“Locating the ball and putting it where I want is my strength,” Wilkinson said. “But I think my velocity can get better. I know it definitely can get better and, hopefully, will. That’s one thing I’m focused on right now.”
It’s no surprise that those steps have worked plenty for Tugboat over the last few months.
Main Photo: © Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
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