LOCALS IN THE PROS: Belcher Has Night To Remember

BY TIM HAYES
Bristol Herald Courier

For Tyler Belcher, the night of June 28 was probably the most memorable of his professional baseball career.

The former Virginia High star played three positions, had two hits and collected three RBIs for the Low-Class A Greensboro (N.C.) Grasshoppers in their 20-6 South Atlantic League loss to the Kannapolis Intimidators.

But it was the final two innings of the game that provided the most memories for Belcher. He actually pitched for the Grasshoppers and took the mound for the first time in five years.
He tossed the final two innings, allowing four runs on five hits. He issued a walk and also recorded a strikeout.

“I just wanted to have fun with it,” Belcher said. “I didn’t want to be wild. I actually didn’t throw that many balls. A lot of them were right down the middle and I let them tee off a little ... I told the catcher to call the fastball and if I shook that off, I would throw something with some spin on it. The first inning was rough, but the second inning was a little better.”

Belcher allowed a home run to the first hitter he faced in the eighth inning. It was his first time on the mound since 2003.

“The last time I pitched was my senior year in high school against [Sullivan] Central in the Big Six tournament,” Belcher said. “I threw two ballgames that year, one in a tournament in Myrtle Beach and the other in the Big Six. I was 2-0.”

The highlight of Belcher’s emergency relief outing came in the ninth as he struck out Oney Guillen, the son of Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.

“I threw a slider in there,” Belcher said. “It just spun.”

So what led to Belcher’s having to take the mound?

The situation arose after Greensboro’s battered pitching staff was beat around by Kannapolis early in the game. Greensboro’s starter allowed 12 runs in three innings and three relievers didn’t fare much better.

Belcher began the game at first base and later moved to catcher for the sixth and seventh innings. While putting on his catching gear, Belcher was told by Greensboro manager Edwin Rodriguez that he might have to take the mound.

“I was getting ready to go behind the dish and he said you might have to close,” Belcher said. “I didn’t think he was serious and then he asked me again. I said sure, whatever you need me to do ... It’s something I’ll be able to look back on later. Hopefully, I’ll never be in that situation again.”

Things are back to normal now for Belcher. He’s been primarily playing first base and has compiled a .250 batting average with seven RBIs in 23 games.

He went 1-for-4 and scored a run on Monday in Greensboro’s loss to the West Virginia Power. In fact, Belcher is hitting .324 over his last 10 games.

“The more and more you play and the more you see pitching, the better off you are,” Belcher said. “I’ve just been using the same mentality and trying to get quality at-bats. Lately, it’s been going pretty well.”

Belcher hopes to make more memories later this month when Greensboro plays the Rome (Ga.) Braves. His former Virginia High teammate and close friend, C.J. Lee, is a starting outfielder for Rome.

“We go down there for four games and it’s going to be fun,” Belcher said. “C.J. and I have never really played against each other; we’ve always been on the same team. It will be a little odd playing against him, but I’m looking forward to it.”
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