IL1 Syracuse Mets

Chris Mazza Earns International League Pitcher of the Week Honors for Second Time

Published on June 18, 2019 under International League (IL1)
Syracuse Mets News Release


For the second time this season, Syracuse Mets right-handed pitcher Chris Mazza was named International League Pitcher of the Week in an announcement from the league office. Most recently, Mazza won the award for the week of June 10-16. The 29-year-old's start on Saturday was among the best of the year for any Syracuse pitcher and any pitcher in the International League. Mazza didn't allow a run in eight innings pitched with only two hits allowed and one walk while striking out eight batters against the Gwinnett Stripers. Mazza needed to face just 26 batters to record 24 outs in the game in his eight innings on the mound as Syracuse cruised to a 5-0 victory over Gwinnett.

Mazza previously won International League Pitcher of the Week honors during the week of May 20-26. The Walnut Creek, CA native is the first International League player to win multiple awards this season. This is the third time in Mazza's professional career that he has won a weekly league award. Mazza was named Texas League Pitcher of the Week on September 3, 2018 when he was with the Arkansas Travelers.

RUSNEY CASTILLO & CHRIS MAZZA NAMED INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

The International League announced today that Pawtucket outfielder Rusney Castillo and Syracuse right-handed starter Chris Mazza have been named the League's Batter and Pitcher of the Week for the period covering June 10-16. It's the second time each player has been so honored in his career. Castillo was previously named IL Batter of the Week in 2018 (June 4-10), while Mazza becomes the first player to claim a pair of weekly awards in the 2019 season (May 20-26).

RUSNEY CASTILLO, Pawtucket Red Sox IL BATTER OF THE WEEK

Over the past week, Pawtucket's Rusney Castillo led the International League with fifteen hits, a .652 batting average, and a .667 on-base percentage as his PawSox won a pair of road series at Louisville and Indianapolis. He hit safely in all six games for the week, failing to get multiple hits just once and failing to score a run just once. The highlight came Wednesday at Louisville as Castillo went 4-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in a 10-8 victory. He also chipped in two homers and seven RBI during the week as he saw his batting average on the season climb from .249 to .289.

31-year-old Rusney Castillo is in his sixth season playing in the Red Sox organization after signing as an international free agent. He has appeared for Pawtucket each season since helping the team win the Governors' Cup in 2014 and is a veteran of 99 games in the majors with Boston. Castillo is a native of Ciego de Avila, Cuba.

CHRIS MAZZA, Syracuse Mets IL PITCHER OF THE WEEK

For the second time this season, Chris Mazza is the IL Pitcher of the Week after tossing a gem Saturday night against Gwinnett. He turned in the longest outing of any Syracuse pitcher all season by throwing 8.0 scorless innings and striking out ten. He faced 26 batters over the 8.0 frames, just two more than the minimum. The Mets cruised to a 5-0 shutout victory, giving Mazza his second win while lowering his ERA to 3.14. Syracuse is currently in 2nd place in the IL North Division.

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International League Stories from June 18, 2019


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