Sean Timmons sets strikeout record in Panners win
July 12th, 2006
Sean Timmons wrote another chapter to his illustrious Alaska Goldpanners career Tuesday, becoming the Alaska Baseball League team’s all-time strikeout leader as the Goldpanners beat the Athletes in Action Fire 9-3.
Timmons caught Fire left fielder Steve Shaver looking at a pitch on the outside part of the plate at Growden Memorial Park to tally his 274th career strikeout, passing Brent Strom on the all-time list.
“Ten years to do it,” said Timmons who first toed the rubber for the Panners in 1994 and is pitching in his 10th season. “Hey, it’s nice. It wasn’t pretty, but hey I got it done. I don’t gotta worry about it anymore.”
Timmons entered the game needing two strikeouts for the record, and for most of the game it didn’t look like he was going to catch Strom.
Timmons cruised through the first six innings, getting the Fire out in order in three of the six innings, but failing to register a strikeout.
That all changed with one out in the seventh inning, when Fire second baseman Danny Morrow swung and missed at a 1-2 Timmons pitch.
“It’s been in the back of my mind for two or three games,” Timmons said with a smile that showed more relief than joy across his 31-year-old face.
And on Timmons’ big day, the Panners made sure to send him home a winner.
After falling behind 3-2 in the second inning, the Panners bats woke up in the fifth in a big way.
The first three batters in the inning all had hits as four Panners scored to take the lead for good.
Third baseman Jovanny Bramasco started things off with a liner that bounced off the third base bag and into left field for a double.
Chris Fox followed that up with a single to center field to put runners at second and third, and a liner to right by Mark Thompson scored Bramasco.
Center fielder Chu Yuan-Chin sent a chopper to second for the first out of the inning, but picked up an RBI as Fox came around to score.
Back to back doubles by Mike Lissman and Beau Mills brought the final two runs across the plate.
“I didn’t make pitches when i need to. I left a few balls up and they hit it when I left it up,” Fire starter Robbie Weinhardt said.
Mills went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a home run, but the day belonged to Timmons.
Despite breaking the record, Timmons said he thought his performance could have been better.
“I’m used to being able to hit my spots pretty much all the time and I’m just not getting there yet,” Timmons said. “It’s just arm strength, I think. The arm’s tired and it’s been tired since the second or third game. So, it’s just something I’ve got to get stronger, and the game will come back.”
But Timmons fought through an exhausted arm and early control troubles, holding the Fire to three runs on seven hits through eight innings.
Timmons walked the first two batters he faced, and they were the only two he walked all game, showing a drive that Panners pitching coach Gus Knickrehm says makes him a joy to coach.
“He ran into a few problems today but he was able to keep battling through it,” said Knickrehm, whose in his third year of working with Timmons. “He just sets such a great example for the staff as a whole, to watch him compete and to keep battling. That’s one of the things that I enjoy as a pitching coach is seeing the maturity and how he keeps battling.”
Knickrehm was quick to praise Timmon’s influence on the Panners’ younger pitchers, saying that Timmons still makes a point of working with the rest of the staff before Panners home games despite working to become a physician’s assistant.
According to Timmons he’ll have his license in nine months, assuming he passes all his tests, of course.
But until then, the Panners are more than happy to call him a teammate.
“He’s just a high quality guy, a great person, a great teammate,” said Panners head coach Ed Cheff, “He’s been a great influence on every team we’ve had up here, and he’s ameant a lot to this organization.”
Staff Writer Adam Raeder can be reached at 459-7583 or araeder@newsminer.com
