After five hitless pinch hit at-bats with the San Diego Padres, former Illini catcher Chris Robinson got his due in the last game of the season. Robinson (seen left during his Illini days) made it count as it was a three-run dinger in his Padres’ 12-2 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Probably almost as important as the homer was the fact that Robbie took the field for the first time this season too. He caught for one inning, handling two chances.
The homerun is a bit of surprise considering that it is Robinson’s first one in pro ball in 2013. In the combined 241 at-bats with Norfolk (Independent) and Tucson (PCL), Robbie hadn’t cleared the fences.
Way to go, Robbie!
Speaking of former Illini, Tanner Roark was bound to slip into the Loss column eventually. It was unfortunate that it was the game that put the Nationals out of wild card contention. To be fair, Roark didn’t pitch all that bad, allowing four runs in five innings and striking out five batters. That wasn’t enough to keep the Cardinals from winning 4-3.
Roark ends his fantastic rookie season at 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA. He can take solace that the Nationals would not have lasted near as long in the race without him.
Here are Roark’s stats for 2013:
| Split | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Totals | 7 | 1 | .875 | 1.74 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46.2 | 35 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 37 |
Go get’em in 2014, Tanner!
Wish Robbie had gotten some more playing time, but glad he got some. Clearing the fences–Wow!
Tanner did a great job! It was great to watch him do so well!
Looking to see them play next season in the majors, too!
yeah, I’m feeling good about both players especially Robbie. He’s waited so long for this.