"I thought this kid was special coming out of Spring Training," said McClendon. "He has a tremendous amount of poise and mound presence. Nothing seemed to affect him adversely, even when he ran into a couple of tough spots."
"He's got the whole package. He's got stuff. And along with the stuff, he has the mental makeup. Those are the types of guys that you build around and get excited about.
Pirates pitching coach Spin Williams also gave Duke a glowing endorsement.
"[His] command is probably his biggest asset. He has a good feel for pitching and the ability to make pitches," said Williams. "And his stuff is plenty good.
I think Zach is going to be a great one. And I do think his mound presence is a gift. Some may think I am crazy, but his ERA could go down in the big leagues with a major league defense supporting him.
It has been neat following his journey thru the minors & now getting the "call". Congrats to Zach and OPP family!! Hoping here I open Sunday paper and see W-Duke in mlb box scores.
"Hope springs eternal." Former Cubs gm Ed Lynch.
Posts: 911 | Location: IL | Registered: July 23, 2003
Pirates Notebook: Duke to make debut tomorrow night
"Oh, I'm excited, believe me," he added, with a laugh. "I've been working for this my whole life, and I'm very eager to get out there. I can't imagine how I'll feel in the first inning. At the same time, though, I know the way I want to pitch that day. I've got a great chance here."
The above article had its sobering moments in the following statement:
quote:
To vacate a spot on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Bobby Bradley was unconditionally released. The eighth overall pick in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft has been plagued by arm injuries ......
Reminds us what a challenging career this is. As outstanding young players move up to take their shot in the majors, other players may be ending their dreams. A tough career goal for our sons. I wish all of the young players, especially Zach, the very best!
Posts: 1691 | Location: Northern California | Registered: December 26, 2002
Dear, Zach, Mom and Dad....Just saw re-caps of Zach's debut...WOW!!!!!!!THIS IS THE STUFF DREAMS ARE MADE OF!!!!!!CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ALL!!!HAVE YOU COME DOWN FROM FROM THE CLOUDS OR ARE YOU STILL FLOATING SOMEWHERE ??????
Posts: 65 | Location: PALM BEACH, FL USA | Registered: March 12, 2004
First...Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement and good thoughts, I think they worked!
The whole weekend is pretty much a blur, but I do not remember being overly nervous. For the first time ever, I kept a scorecard at a game(at least for 7 innings). Miller Park in Milwaukee is a fabulous baseball stadium and we had pretty good seats about 23 rows up behind home plate... great Dad's-eye view of the strike zone!
Kid handled himself well(made one "mistake" pitch), got to spend a few hours with him after the game and again the next morning and then was able to tour some of the Milwaukee area prior to flying back home. Bonus to the late flight was all of the firework displays visible from 34,000 feet!!!
Good to be home and guess Zach will learn a little more about big league life than he was able to relate to us after 2 days.
During the all-star break he will be able to travel to Indianapolis to check out of his previous apartment and drive his wheels to Pittsburgh. Seems like a sign that he may be staying up for a while longer this season.
I am looking foreward to watching his next game on MLB satellite package which we purchased before heading to Milwaukee- my house was over-run with relatives and friends having a watching party while we were away... at least they did the dishes!
Once again, thanks for sending all of the good vibes our way on Saturday!
OPP
OPP
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
Posts: 880 | Location: TeXas | Registered: December 26, 2002
What a game! The minimum through 3 innings. He got touched in the 4th and 5th, however he mantained his composure and finished strong, retiring the side with K's in the 7th!
OPP...I am just getting the news after having been out of town for about five days, and I am so proud of Zach and his accomplishments. Best of luck to him in the future and congratulations to all of you!!!What great news!!!
Posts: 1183 | Location: Georgia | Registered: January 06, 2003
Anybody interested in seeing a clip of OPP's talented boy? I'll post one if there is any interest... With OPP's permission of course.
Saturday might have been the first time I've watched Pittsburgh for more than an inning since the early 90's. Not only did Zach pitch well in his debut but that Pirates SS can sure play the field. Both teams look like they have some good young talent.
Jason
Posts: 1000 | Location: Tennessee | Registered: June 13, 2003
A tough career goal for our sons. I wish all of the young players, especially Zach, the very best! 
