CHICAGO – Ten months ago, Hunter Cervenka was pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters in an independent league in Texas.
On Thursday night, the stout rookie left-hander was brought in to face larger-than-life Red Sox slugger David Ortiz at storied Fenway Park, and Cervenka got “Big Papi” on a routine groundout with a runner in scoring position to end the seventh inning in a 5-3 Braves win.
That was the 10th appearance for the Cervenka, who gave up a hit to the first batter he faced on April 12 in his major league debut, and hasn’t given up a hit since.
Yes, he’s come a long way in a short time.
“This guy has been getting a lot of opportunities and he’s making the most of it,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of Cervenka, 26, who had a 0.00 ERA and .050 opponents’ average in 6 1/3 innings before Friday, with four walks and eight strikeouts.
Through his first 29 appearances in the Braves organization, including 19 minor league games and 10 in the majors, Cervenka still has not allowed an earned run.
“I put him in to face Ortiz yesterday and I’m sitting in the dugout thinking, how many top-tier left-handed pitchers has Ortiz faced late in the game in his career?” Gonzalez said. “I mean, he’s had to have faced everybody.”
Gonzalez got a kick out of imagining what Ortiz was thinking as the 6-foot-1, 245-pound Cervenka threw him four consecutive four-seam fastballs (92-94 mph) followed by two 88-mph sliders, the first one in the dirt and the next one producing the inning-ending grounder.
After being released by the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate a year ago and making eight appearances for Sugar Land, Cervenka signed a minor league deal with the Braves in July and briefly pitching at Double-A Mississippi before being promoted to Triple-A.
He began this season back in Double-A and made two appearances before being called to the big leagues. Suffice to say, it doesn’t look like he’ll be going back to the minors again anytime soon.
