TEEN WONDER
Garcia, 19, debuts with five no-hit innings as Thunder blank Reading to win EL East
Trenton — Deivi Garcia may still be a teenager, but he was more than ready for his Double-A debut.
The 19-year-old struck out seven over five no-hit innings and the Thunder clinched a second straight EL East title with a 3-0 victory over Reading at Arm & Hammer Park on Sunday night.
Ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Yankees’ organization, Garcia took Jonathan Loaisiga’s place after Loaisiga, the No. 3 prospect, was recalled to the Bronx earlier on Sunday. Garcia became the first teenager to pitch for the Thunder since Manny Banuelos in 2010.
Featuring a smooth delivery and low 90s fastball, change up and curveball, Garcia retired 15 of the 17 batters he faced, allowing only a pair of walks in the fourth inning. He got out of trouble in that frame with a fly out and two ground outs.
Garcia arrived in Trenton with plenty of hype despite his youthfulness. He had a 2.74 ERA, 98 strikeouts and just 18 walks in 69 innings split between Charleston and Tampa. He dazzled on Sunday night and finished with a bang by striking out the side in the fifth inning.
“Having (minor league pitching coordinator) Scott Aldred in here about six times this year, he’s raved about him each and every time,” manager Jay Bell said pregame. “I understand he is pretty electric out there. He’s one of the guys they’ve identified as being excited about having in the organization. They see a potential solid future for him.”
The Thunder nearly made history by clinching the East title on a nohitter only for the Fightin Phils’ Jan Hernandez to single off Chase Hodson with one out in the eighth.
Hodson tossed 2.1 innings, allowing just the lone single and Matt Wivinis got the final five outs for his fifth save in six opportunities (he gave up a single in the ninth). The Thunder have held Reading scoreless for 26 straight innings since the visitor’s scored twice in the opener on Friday night.
Kyle Holder got Trenton (78-61) off to a perfect start when he yanked a home run down the right-field line. Reading’s Jose Pujols almost made a spectacular leaping catch but the ball narrowly avoided his glove and caromed off the light pole just beyond the fence.
Holder knocked in all three Thunder runs, adding an RBI ground out in the fourth and RBI single in the seventh after the home team took advantage of the Fighting Phils’ third error of the night.
The Thunder finish the regular season on Monday afternoon before traveling to New Hampshire for the first two games of the ELDS, which starts on Wednesday. Games 3, 4 and 5 are Friday-Sunday at Arm & Hammer Park.
Trenton trailed the Fisher Cats by one game with four to play, but New Hampshire dropped the first two games of its series with Hartford, which put the Thunder in position to clinch on Sunday night since they hold the tiebreaker.