IL names players of the week

Published on June 6, 2005 under International League (IL1) News Release

The International League announced today that Buffalo's Dusty Wathan and Syracuse pitcher Shaun Marcum have been named the League's Batter and Pitcher-of-the-Week for the period from May 30 – June 5. Wathan is the second consecutive Buffalo hitter to take home the IL weekly award, following Andy Abad (May 23-29). Marcum becomes the second SkyChiefs' hurler to win the award this season, following Chad Gaudin (May 16-22).

Throughout his 12 seasons in the Minor Leagues, Buffalo catcher DUSTY WATHAN has been known for many things. Power is not one of them. The fan favorite in Buffalo had just 4 HR and 72 RBI in the last three seasons combined. But after working on his swing this offseason with Manager Marty Brown, Dusty has finally started to break out of his shell offensively this year. It came together for him in historic fashion June 2 against Toledo. The contest was scoreless until the bottom of the 4th, when Wathan crushed a two-run home run to center field. One inning later he hit a mammoth three-run blast, putting the Bisons ahead 8-1. In the 6th, Dusty came up with the bases loaded and a chance to homer in three straight innings. Toledo's Mike Bynum wanted no part of the hot hitting catcher, first uncorking a wild pitch that scored the runner from third, then ultimately walking Wathan. But he would get one more chance in the 8th, again with the bases juiced. This time Dusty deposited the first pitch he saw over the centerfield wall for a grand slam. He was mobbed by his teammates upon returning to the dugout, and with good reason – he became just the second Bison in the 18-year history of Dunn Tire Park to hit 3 HR in a single game, and his 9 RBI set a Buffalo Modern Era record. He homered once more the next night for good measure, giving him 8 HR on the season to match his career best.

The 31-year-old catcher was signed as a nondrafted free agent by Seattle in 1994, starting a trek through the Minor Leagues that has now spanned 12 seasons with six different organizations. He has been with Buffalo since April 2003, and was a key member of last year's Governors' Cup Championship squad, catching all nine playoff games.

Syracuse right-hander SHAUN MARCUM wins the IL Pitcher-of-the-Week Award in his very first week at the Triple-A level. Fresh off his promotion from Double-A New Hampshire, he made his International League debut May 30 against the Durham Bulls. In his first inning of work, he struck out two of the IL's biggest prospects, Joey Gathright and B.J. Upton. Marcum looked great all the way until the seventh, when he was pulled after throwing 6.1 innings. He was charged with four runs, but struck out 9 while walking only one. He did not earn a decision. Shaun would get another chance June 4 when the Louisville Bats came to town. This time around he was more than just a capable Triple-A pitcher, he was outright dominant. The 23-year-old scattered five hits over 7 innings, striking out 8 without allowing a walk. Louisville never even got a baserunner to third base against Marcum, and only two runners reached second base. Relievers Jason Arnold, Jesse Carlson, and Matt Whiteside completed the shutout. It was quite a debut this week for Shaun. No one in the International League had more than his 17 strikeouts last week, and only Sean Henn of Columbus threw more innings.

Shaun was a 2nd round draft selection of Toronto in 2003. He held opponents to a .129 average in his first professional season with Auburn of the New York-Penn League, and was named the Blue Jays Minor League Pitcher of the Month for August. He split last season between Charleston and Dunedin at the Class-A level, going 10-6 with a 3.16 ERA. He started this year with New Hampshire of the Double-A Eastern League, going 7-1 with a 2.53 ERA before his late-May promotion to Syracuse.

International League Stories from June 6, 2005

• Knights Rally To Edge Indianapolis, 6-5 - Indianapolis Indians
• Musser's gem enough for Tides - Norfolk Tides
• Lynx Rally Back To Top Bulls 5-4 - Ottawa Lynx
• Kenny Kelly, Steve Kelly win Bats monthly awards - Louisville Bats
• IL names players of the week - IL1
• Bulls game kicks off live regional coverage on C-SET - Durham Bulls
• PawSox drill Braves - Gwinnett Stripers

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