August 10: Pulsipher The Stopper As Goldeyes Whip Schaumburg

Bill Pulsipher is proving he just might be Goldeyes manager Rick Forney’s finest mid-season signing.

On Sunday afternoon, Pulsipher gave the Goldeyes a second-straight near-flawless start as he allowed only one run on five hits over seven innings and led the Fish to a 7-2 victory over the Schaumburg Flyers at Canwest Park.

In just two starts with Winnipeg, both of which he has won, the former New York Mets bonus baby has pitched 13 innings, allowing just one run on seven hits.

“I’ve had to learn how to pitch again,” he said. “Ever since Tommy John surgery (back in 1996), I haven’t been able to throw with the same velocity. But in order to overcome that, I had to learn to change speeds, throw strikes, move the ball around the strike zone, work quickly and become a smarter pitcher.”

Pulsipher was certainly smart on Sunday. By adding a new/old pitch to his arsenal, he kept the Flyers off-balance all afternoon. With Kevin West going three-for-five with a solo homer, two runs scored and two runs batted in and Cory Patton going one-for-two with a solo homer, four runs scored and one RBI, Pulsipher was able to give the Fish their 46th victory of the season (as an aside, Kansas City finished the season 46-50 last year and won the Northern League championship).

“When I came back from Mexico, I hadn’t pitched very well and I wasn’t very happy with how things had gone,” Pulsipher said. “So when I came back, I started working on the curve ball again. I hadn’t thrown it in quite awhile, and after I struggled in Mexico, I thought I needed it. Here, I’ve used the curve ball a lot and I’ve just been leaning back and letting it do what it needs to do. By having that pitch, it’s really helped me.”

Pulsipher’s performance was exactly what Forney was looking for. After four-straight shaky starts, the Goldeyes needed the veteran to shut down an opponent and give the hitters a chance to do their thing. For the second time since arriving last week, Pulsipher did just that.

With the win, the Fish improved to 46-28, took a two-and-a-half game lead over Gary in the race for first in the Northern League and lowered their magic number to clinch a playoff berth to eight.

The Goldeyes play Monday night in Joliet, the first game of a seven-game road trip that will also take them to Gary.