Acta announced late Friday night that Masterson's spot in the rotation for the season finale Wednesday in Detroit will be filled by Zach McAllister.
View full sizeCleveland Indians' Justin Masterson pitches against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning of a baseball game on Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, in Cleveland. Justin Masterson took care of his manager, Manny Acta, for six months.
So Acta took care of Masterson in the season's final days.
Acta announced late Friday night that Masterson's spot in the rotation for the season finale Wednesday in Detroit will be filled by Zach McAllister.
"Bat" Masterson can feel free to relax and enjoy time with teammates, card games qualifying as the most pressure-filled moments.
Masterson's second full season as a starter wrapped at 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA in 34 appearances (33 starts) covering 216 innings. His final start came Friday, when he struggled through 4 innings of a no-decision in the Tribe's 6-5 victory over Minnesota at Progressive Field.
The only time Masterson will have missed a turn is Wednesday -- and that one does not really count. If the Indians had needed Masterson for the season finale in Detroit, Acta would have gone with him. They don't, so Acta won't.
If anyone earned a head start on the off-season, Masterson is he. An award is not given to the starter who works the most high-leverage innings, but if it were, Masterson would be a leading candidate.
Masterson's victory total is relatively low, especially for someone who tied for a club lead (with Josh Tomlin), in large part because run support was lacking. The Indians scored two runs or fewer in 11 of his starts, one run or fewer in seven, and averaged 4.1 runs for the 33.
Masterson had a no-decision or loss in 12 starts in which he pitched at least six innings and gave up two or fewer earned runs. During one three-start stretch in July, he went 0-1 despite having allowed three earned in 22 innings.
"He's had to battle so hard because he's pitched in a lot of close games," Acta said. "He's been tremendous for us. Usually in a 162-game season, you can pinpoint stretches where a pitcher struggles. Not with Justin. He never hit a rough spot of more than one start."
Masterson pitched into the sixth inning in 28 starts. He logged seven-plus innings 15 times.
"It's been a fun year, team-wise and individually," Masterson said. "We wanted to win the division, no doubt, but we fought hard and never gave in. We took it into September, so it gives us a good taste heading into next season. My goals were to take the ball every five days and consistently give the team a chance to win, and I was able to do that."
Masterson will lead the Tribe in innings by plenty; second-place Fausto Carmona has 1821/3 heading into his final start Sunday.
By season's end, Masterson will rank in the top 20 in the American League in ERA, innings, average by right-handed hitters and ground ball/fly ball ratio.
The Thomenator: The Indians' clubhouse Saturday morning remained abuzz over Jim Thome's performance Friday. On Jim Thome Night at Progressive Field, the man himself went 3-for-4 with an infield single, double and 425-foot homer.
"Straight out of 'The Natural,' " Masterson said. "Ol' Roy Hobbs."
Infielder Jason Donald, watching from the bench, did not want it to end.
"Chills," he said. "You can't script it much better than that. To tell the truth, though, it shouldn't surprise anybody."
Thome's homer, a two-run shot off Carl Pavano in the third inning, sailed high over the wall in center field. It followed a similar flight path as his 511-foot homer off Kansas City's Don Wengert on July 3, 1999. In the pregame ceremony Friday, the Indians announced plans to erect a Thome statue near the spot where the 511-footer landed.
The blast off Wengert is the longest measured homer by an Indian in Cleveland. The ball bounced onto Eagle Avenue.
"You hear people talk about the 511-foot homer and where it ended up," Donald said. "Then you see Jim Thome, on his night, hit one in the same area. You're like, 'Did this just happen?' It was awesome."
Thome, 41, entered Saturday in eighth place on the all-time homers list with 604, five behind seventh-place Sammy Sosa. His three RBI on Friday gave him 1,673, three back of No. 25 Gary Sheffield.
"Jim hasn't lost too much from his younger days," Donald said. "He's an animal."
Pronk files: Travis Hafner went 1-for-3 with two runs in the first game of the doubleheader Saturday, giving him 1,001 career hits.
Hafner made his big-league debut with the Rangers on Aug. 6, 2002, and struck out. The next day, he hit an RBI triple off lefty Mark Redman. Hafner downplayed his wheels at that moment.
"It hit off the wall in left-center and kicked away from the center fielder," he said.
Hafner's first homer was Aug. 11, 2002, in Cleveland. It came off Jason Phillips as part of a 4-for-5 performance that included two doubles. The homer remains Hafner's only one as a Ranger; the Indians acquired him in December 2002.
Because of injuries, Hafner has needed 10 years to get his 1KH. When he talks about his career, he never mentions the words "what might have been" or "regret."
"I think regret only applies in situations where you say, 'If only I had worked harder,' " he said. "I can honestly stand here and say that I've worked as hard as I possibly can. I have put myself in the best possible position to succeed."
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2011/09/justin_masterson_can_relax_pre.html
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