Yhoiker Fajardo Named the Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day

The Cardinal Chronicle
Yhoiker Fajardo Named Minor League Pitcher of the Day
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Yhoiker Fajardo did not turn in a spotless line Friday night, but he brought the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that changes a ballgame.

The Peoria Chiefs right-hander struck out 10 batters over five innings in a 9-3 win over the South Bend Cubs at Four Winds Field. He allowed three runs on four hits, walked one and threw 55 of his 74 pitches for strikes.

For that performance, Fajardo is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Pitcher of the Day.

The third inning was the only real trouble spot for Fajardo, as South Bend pushed across all three of its runs in that frame. But rather than let the inning define his night, he kept attacking. That matters. Young pitchers are going to run into traffic. The separator is whether they can steady themselves, stay in the zone and keep giving their club a chance to win.

Fajardo did exactly that.

His 10 strikeouts set the tone for a Peoria pitching staff that dominated the rest of the way. Dylan Driessen, Nate Dohm, José Davila and Patrick Galle combined for four scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit while striking out five. By the end of the night, Chiefs pitchers had punched out 15 South Bend hitters.

That is how a pitching staff takes control.

Peoria’s offense gave Fajardo plenty of support, scoring in the first and second innings before breaking the game open with a six-run fourth. Ian Petrutz led the attack with a double, a home run and two RBIs. Anyelo Encarnación added two RBIs and stole his 10th base of the season, while Tai Peete, Jack Gurevitch and Cameron Nickens each drove in a run.

But the backbone of the win was the mound work.

Blake Aita made this a real decision after delivering six scoreless innings in relief for Springfield. That was a major outing after the Cardinals fell behind early, and it deserves strong mention. Brian Holiday also gave Palm Beach five solid innings, allowing two runs while striking out four.

Still, Fajardo gets the nod. Ten strikeouts in five innings, one walk, 55 strikes, and a winning start for Peoria is enough to carry the day.

The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Yhoiker Fajardo, RHP, Peoria Chiefs.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Yhoiker Fajardo, Peoria Chiefs | MiLB