Baseball in Fort Wayne

The first pitch of Saturday’s historic game between the Padres and Dodgers in China is destined for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Knowing that to be the case, former Wizards pitcher Justin Germano wanted it to be a strike.

“That was one of the biggest things for me because I knew they wanted to keep the ball … I was glad it was a strike,” Germano said. “I was hoping the batter [George Lombard] wasn’t going to come out of his shoes on it. I threw it right down the middle.” [source: MLB.com].

In the game, which was called at a 3-3 tie after nine innings, he allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk to earn a no-decision. However, it may have impressed upon skipper, Bud Black, enough to help him earn the fifth spot in the rotation.

“He’s pitched great all spring,” Black said of Germano, who has a 3.14 ERA this spring and most of that damage was done in one game. “You could see the focus with him even when we got to the park. He showed very well again.”

He’s currently battling veterans Shawn Estes and Glendon Rusch as well as youngsters Wil Ledezma and another former Wizard, Wade LeBlanc.

Germano may have an edge on the competition since he performed the role well during parts of last season. He went 5-0 with a 2.36 ERA over his first seven starts after a May promotion from Triple-A Portland.

Germano was with the Wizards in for 13 games in 2001, going 2-6 with a 4.98 ERA over 13 games and striking out 55 batters over 65 innings. In 2002, he returned to Fort Wayne where he went 12-5 with a 3.18 ERA over 24 starts with one complete game and striking out 119 batters over 155.2 innings before being promoted to high-A Lake Elsinore.

[tags]Justin Germano, Fort Wayne Wizards, Baseball in Fort Wayne[/tags]