MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Hancel Rincón
The Cardinal Chronicle
Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Hancel Rincón
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Hancel Rincón gave Memphis one of the rarest pitching notes in baseball Wednesday afternoon.
Nine pitches.
Nine strikes.
Three strikeouts.
That is an immaculate inning.
Rincón is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Pitcher of the Day after striking out five over 2.2 innings in Memphis’ 10-8 loss to the Nashville Sounds at AutoZone Park.
The Redbirds did not complete the comeback, but Rincón gave them a pitching highlight that stood out across the Cardinals’ full-season system.
His sixth inning was the headliner. Rincón struck out the side on nine pitches, throwing every pitch for a strike and turning the inning into one of those moments that gets circled in the box score.
An immaculate inning does not happen by accident.
A pitcher has to be in the zone, the stuff has to be sharp, and the hitters have to be unable to do anything with it. For one inning, Rincón had complete control.
He finished his outing with five strikeouts in 2.2 innings. He did allow one run on two hits, but the swing-and-miss was the story. In a game where Memphis had to use several arms and was trying to climb out of a deep early hole, Rincón gave the Redbirds a stretch of power relief that helped keep the comeback within reach.
That matters.
Memphis spent most of the afternoon chasing Nashville after falling behind by seven runs. The Redbirds kept pushing, and the pitching staff needed someone to stop the game from getting completely away.
Rincón did that for a stretch.
The immaculate inning was the attention-grabber, but the five strikeouts were not a footnote. That is the kind of relief appearance that shows the quality of the stuff, even when the final line is not spotless.
Cooper Hjerpe deserves strong mention after throwing two perfect innings with two strikeouts in his second rehab start for Palm Beach. That was another encouraging step in his return to full-season action.
Tink Hence also deserves mention after opening Memphis’ bullpen game with two innings, one run, no walks and two strikeouts.
But Rincón gets the honor because an immaculate inning belongs in bold print.
Nine pitches.
Nine strikes.
Three strikeouts.
That is a rare inning, and it was the best pitching note in the system Wednesday.
Old School Take
Some pitching lines are clean.
Some pitching moments are rare.
Hancel Rincón gave Memphis a rare one.
An immaculate inning is baseball at its simplest and sharpest. Throw strikes. Miss bats. Walk off the mound before anybody has time to breathe.
The Redbirds lost the game.
Rincón still gave them a moment worth remembering.
That is why Hancel Rincón is The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Hancel Rincón, Memphis Redbirds | Daily Memphian