Dave Bush Picks Up First MLB Victory
7/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
July 25, 2004
By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com
TORONTO - The caveats end here.
It's getting harder and harder to qualify David Bush's success as beginner's luck. The rookie earned his first Major League win on Sunday, pitching Toronto to a 5-3 victory and a series sweep over Tampa Bay. Bush allowed just one earned run, marking his third low-scoring game in four starts.
"He continues to be impressive. He's got a real good feel for pitching," said Toronto manager Carlos Tosca. "His poise is just as important as his ability to pitch. There are very few guys who come up here with that part of their arsenal."
Bush leapt to the forefront earlier in the week when he fired eight innings of one-hit ball against Oakland. In that game, he took a no-hitter into the eighth before ending up with a no-decision. The former second-round draft pick caught America's attention with that game, and Sunday's start didn't do anything to dampen the enthusiasm.
Bush has pitched well enough to win in three of his four starts, and he has surrendered more than one earned run on only one occasion. In 27 innings as a big-leaguer, the right-hander has allowed just 23 hits and six earned runs, good enough for a 2.00 ERA. Still, he's well aware that things will change once hitters see more of him.
"I obviously have a lot to learn. There's so much more that I can do," he said. "When I face teams for the second or third time, I'll have to make adjustments."
That's something that comes naturally to Bush, who's changed a lot in the last two years. The right-hander was drafted as a reliever, so he's had to slowly work himself in as a starter. Jorge Cantu, Tampa Bay's second baseman, said that Bush was a much different pitcher in the minor leagues.
"I remember hitting him well. Now, he's in the big leagues and is a different kind of pitcher," said Cantu. "He throws pretty good. Sneaky, but under control all the time. Down there, he wasn't steady at all. He'd throw a lot of fastballs and got hit all the time, but he's different here."
Indeed, Bush (1-1) casually controlled the game, shutting out the road team for five innings. Ten of his first 15 outs came via ground balls -- over that span, the Devil Rays got just three runners to second base. Bush got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, notching a strikeout and a popup to end the threat.
"To me, that was probably the game right there," said Tosca. "To get out of that was huge."
The Jays, by contrast, got all the offense they needed in their first at-bat. The first two batters reached base, courtesy of a hit batsman and a single. One out later, Carlos Delgado drove a ball over the right-field fence. That was his 12th homer over the season, but it brought a bigger milestone: The slugger became the first Blue Jay to drive in 1,000 runs.
"It's an honor. It says a lot about the people I've played with," he said. "I've been very fortunate to play with good hitters that gave me a chance to drive them in. I take a lot of pride in RBIs."
Toronto (43-55) came back for more in the fourth inning. This time, it wasn't Victor Zambrano's fault. A throwing error by Cantu put runners on second and third, and Orlando Hudson doubled them both home to give Toronto a 5-0 lead.
Tampa Bay (45-53) battled back in the sixth, using a one-out homer by Aubrey Huff to break up the shutout. That was the only homer Bush has allowed thus far in his brief career.
"You give up the first one, it might as well be a long one," he joked. "I knew right off the bat."
The inning wasn't over -- a single and an out later, another error helped extend the rally. Hudson couldn't glove a grounder by Julio Lugo, giving the Rays an extra out and an extra runner. Cantu then doubled to drive in both runners, accounting for the final margin.
"We kicked the ball around a little bit the one inning when they scored runs on him and he didn't let the inning unravel," Tosca said of Bush. "And then he was able to go out and pitch another inning or so. He's a very impressive young man. He's very studious. He understands the game."
Kerry Ligtenberg got five outs for the Jays, who had a short bullpen on Sunday. The end result was his third save of the season and a three-game win streak for Toronto.
The streak will be tested on Monday, when the Yankees come to town for a three-game series. Sean Douglass will get the ball in that game, and he'll be matched up against New York's Javier Vazquez.
Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.