Scranton’s Cole Hamels shows his worth against Tides

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons’ Cole Hamels, pitches his first AAA game against the Norfolk Tides at Harbor Park on Thursday afternoon. Hamels pitched 14 strikeout shutout for 7 innings. (Hyunsoo Leo Kim/The Virginian-Pilot)

By RICH RADFORD
The Virginian-Pilot

NORFOLK — With the Norfolk Tides off to a miserable start, fans at Harbor Park could be excused for paying closer attention to the visiting team in hopes of seeing legitimate prospects. Thursday afternoon, they saw one of the best when Cole Hamels, a lanky, 6-foot-3 lefthander , made his Triple-A debut for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons.

Based on what Hamels, a first-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies three years ago, showed against the Tides, his major league debut shouldn’t be too far off.

In seven innings, Hamels struck out 14 Tides , walked none and allowed three hits, two in the first inning, as the Red Barons posted a 5-0 victory.

Hamels thoroughly befuddled the Tides, who fell to 6-16 and have a team batting average of .217 .

He’d throw his fastball 88 mph on one pitch, 94 on the next.

“I always like getting that first strike and then running it up a bit on the next one,” Hamels said.

And that change-up? “He had us a little out on our front foot a few times,” Tides shortstop Chris Basak said.

Hamels fell one strikeout shy of the record for a Tides opposing pitcher. Former Boston Red Sox standout Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd fanned 15 Tides on May 18, 1984, when he pitched for the Pawtucket Red Sox.

“I guess you get those names from the best-of-the-best list when you get up there,” Hamels said, happily surprised when informed of how close he was to the record.

For the Red Barons, it was a single-game record by a lefthanded pitcher, breaking the mark of 13 set by Matt Beach nine years ago today.

The 22-year-old Hamels missed most of last season after breaking his pitching hand in a barroom fight in Clearwater, Fla., home to Phillies spring training and site of one of their Class A clubs . Hamels began this season in Clearwater to avoid cold weather in Scranton.

With the Phillies’ starting rotation absorbing regular poundings — Jon Lieber, Ryan Madson and Gavin Floyd have ERAs of 7.99, 8.05 and 8.50 — Hamels has every true Phillies fan’s attention. In 33 career starts in the minors, Hamels has allowed just two homers and has struck out 251 batters in 179u2153 innings.

He certainly had his manager’s attention Thursday.

“Other than throwing a couple of batting practices at spring training, it was the first time I’d really seen him pitch,” Red Barons manager John Russell said. “He has good presence and doesn’t let things bother him. I think he’s just excited that he’s healthy, which is a refreshing feeling when you haven’t been.”

Tides manager Tony Tijerina figured after the seventh inning that Hamels, who had thrown 98 pitches to that point, was probably done for the day.

“Hats off to him,” Tijerina said. “When I walked by him after the seventh, I told him, 'Good job, kid,’”

And that was an understatement.