Baseball: Pitcher unshaken as outburst ruins stats

Andrew Marck pitches for Brisbane. Photo / SMP IMAGES/ABL

It probably seemed a good idea at the time. Kiwi pitcher Andrew Marck had shown promise since arriving in the Australian Baseball League to play for the Brisbane Bandits.

He had "saved" a game in Melbourne, pitching the final innings and striking out the final batter to preserve a 4-3 win over the hometown Aces.

After almost six innings of relief pitching over four games, he hadn't conceded a run, so maybe it was time to see what he could do as a starter.

Or perhaps not.

In the space of a few pitches, the Sydney Blue Socks batters took to Marck and his 0.00 ERA (Earned Runs Average), wracking up six safe hits and seven runs in a third-innings burst that wrecked his stats and sent him back to the bullpen, tail between his legs.

"I hadn't gone more than two innings for the previous two months," he reflects. "When I went back out for that third innings, it didn't work out too well.

"It doesn't matter - that's the only innings I've been hit and it can happen to anyone. But I don't think they'll do that again. I think the coaches will move me back to relief for the rest of the season."

Even though the Aucklander has been playing baseball most of his life, it's still very early days in his professional career. Baby steps. His passion for the game began, as a 6-year-old, when he spotted a recruitment sign for his Howick Pakuranga club.

"At the time, I was really getting into baseball movies - Rookie of the Year and Angels in the Outfield. I had never played softball, but I made the New Zealand under-12 team when I was 8 and did pretty well.

"I always preferred to hit but think I was naturally better at pitching. I worked really hard trying to throw curve balls and I had some good coaches."

Marck was playing for the national under-23 side at the Australian championships last year, when Greg Morriss from the Houston Astros organisation in American Major League Baseball asked him to move to Brisbane. Morriss wanted to help prepare him for a potential spot in the big show. The US league heavily finances the ABL as an extension of its development programme, so the decision was a no-brainer.

Only one other Kiwi in the Aussie competition - infielder and fellow Aucklander Daniel Lamb-Hunt.

"I've loved it," says Marck. "It's been awesome. They play a much higher level here and I'm pitching in front of some big crowds, up to 2500 people. Some of them are quite abusive and they don't like the fact I'm from New Zealand. I knew when I came over here that the competition was strong, so I've tried to elevate my game and get into better shape. I don't think many players are as fit as they could be."

Marck's fastball is a moderate 144-152km/h (90-95mph), which isn't particularly scary in this company. His best weapon is that curve he began working on as a kid.

But in terms of blazing a trail for the sport back home, he's a pioneer. NZ Baseball are contemplating an Auckland-based team in the Australian league. They are also poised to field a team in the World Baseball Classic for the first time.

"I think this is the next big step for New Zealand," says Marck. "It's definitely a stepping stone to get baseball into our country but, from what I've learned here, I'm not sure we're quite ready yet.

"We do have a few players at college in the US who'll be ready in a few years and they would love to come home for it. If we had them and some international imports from Japan or Korea, we would be OK.

"We've also got a lot of young players coming through."