At the beginning of this year, local favorite Dustin McGowan was pitching with Toronto’s Triple-A team, Syracuse Chiefs.
Toronto had used him as a starter and as a relief pitcher in 2006, and the organization and McGowan didn’t really know if the Blue Jays were in his future.
After finishing the year with 12 wins, the Jays know he is the pitcher they thought he was when they drafted him in 2000 and McGowan knows he will be pitching in the majors for quite awhile.
McGowan picked up his final win of the season this past Friday when the Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 5-4.
Playing in Toronto, the Jays jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth and never looked back as they put up eight hits and only committed one error in the contest.
The right-hander from Long County closed out his season by going six innings, and had his fastball in gear all night as he struck out six Devil Ray batters.
For the game, McGowan faced 27 batters, throwing 93 pitches with 58 of them being for strikes. He gave up 2 walks, 6 hits,and 3 earned runs.
McGowan wasn’t the only Toronto pitcher smiling after the game, as closer Jeremy Accardo got the save - his 30th of the season, and the number he finished the year with.
Though several of Toronto’s pitchers wore down as the season closed, the 25-year-old former Blue Tide player was the most solid pitcher the organization had going down the stretch.
During his last six starts, he went 4-2 and posted a 3.79 ERA.
For the year, the hurler started 27 games, and posted a 12-10 record, with an ERA of 4.08. He gave up 14 homeruns, 61 walks, 146 hits and struck out 144 batters. He had two complete games and one single hit game. He also got to the plate in four games, batting seven times, managing 2 hits for a .286 batting average.
Toronto lost their final game Sunday to the Devil Rays by a score of 8-5.
The Blue Jays wrapped up the season with an 83-79 record, finishing in third place in the American League East division.
Toronto had used him as a starter and as a relief pitcher in 2006, and the organization and McGowan didn’t really know if the Blue Jays were in his future.
After finishing the year with 12 wins, the Jays know he is the pitcher they thought he was when they drafted him in 2000 and McGowan knows he will be pitching in the majors for quite awhile.
McGowan picked up his final win of the season this past Friday when the Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 5-4.
Playing in Toronto, the Jays jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth and never looked back as they put up eight hits and only committed one error in the contest.
The right-hander from Long County closed out his season by going six innings, and had his fastball in gear all night as he struck out six Devil Ray batters.
For the game, McGowan faced 27 batters, throwing 93 pitches with 58 of them being for strikes. He gave up 2 walks, 6 hits,and 3 earned runs.
McGowan wasn’t the only Toronto pitcher smiling after the game, as closer Jeremy Accardo got the save - his 30th of the season, and the number he finished the year with.
Though several of Toronto’s pitchers wore down as the season closed, the 25-year-old former Blue Tide player was the most solid pitcher the organization had going down the stretch.
During his last six starts, he went 4-2 and posted a 3.79 ERA.
For the year, the hurler started 27 games, and posted a 12-10 record, with an ERA of 4.08. He gave up 14 homeruns, 61 walks, 146 hits and struck out 144 batters. He had two complete games and one single hit game. He also got to the plate in four games, batting seven times, managing 2 hits for a .286 batting average.
Toronto lost their final game Sunday to the Devil Rays by a score of 8-5.
The Blue Jays wrapped up the season with an 83-79 record, finishing in third place in the American League East division.