Devenski's Divine Dandelions
June 2, 2015 - Texas League (TL1)
Corpus Christi Hooks News Release
LITTLE ROCK, ARK - Could the seeds of Corpus Christi's May 29 no-hitter have been planted in the last week of April?
Hooks right-hander Chris Devenski and hitting coach Dan Radison think so.
Both men took photos of an image painted on the gym wall at Springhill Suites in Midland the last time the Hooks played in the Permian Basin.
"In the corner of the weight room they had a dandelion on the wall with a mirror in front of it. So I look at this dandelion and I'm amazed by it," Devenski said. "Something about it has significant meaning to me."
"I was fascinated by the picture so I took a picture of it," Radison said. "(Chris) was also, unbeknownst to me, fascinated by the picture and he took a picture of that wallpaper too."
The hitting coach then texted the photo to his girlfriend Michelle.
"She said, 'why are you texting me a picture of this dandelion?' My reply: I don't know, I just thought it was fascinating. Michelle answered, 'I just had a dream about the breath of God spreading the seeds of a dandelion all over the world.'"
Radison and Devenski are both Christian, so upon discovery they had taken the same photo and Radison explained Michelle's dream, the duo viewed it as divine intervention.
Fast forward one month to Friday, May 29. Devenski is scheduled to start for Corpus Christi against Arkansas at Dickey-Stephens Park. As usual in the Natural State, cotton fluttered through the air.
To Devenski, those pieces of cotton were the seeds God had blown across the earth in Michelle's dream.
"I went up to Rad and I said, 'I don't care what anybody says those are dandelions floating around,'" Devenski explained.
"During the game he comes to me and says, 'do you see these dandelion seeds everywhere?' I said yeah man I see them. And then he goes out and throws a no-hitter," Radison said. "To me it's pretty amazing the way the timing of all that works."
Devenski went on to combine with Josh Hader on the first no-hitter in Hooks history, blanking the Travelers 4-0 in a rain-shortened affair that ended with one out in the bottom of the sixth.
Devenski threw the game's first five innings and Hader, the scheduled next man up in the tandem starter system, recorded one out in the sixth.
"When a pitcher has good stuff, it goes the first couple of innings when you can tell if he's on," Hooks manager Rodney Linares said. "Especially if a team hasn't seen him like happened (Friday)."
Cal Towey worked a walk against Devenski with two outs in the first inning. Devenski proceeded to retire the next 13 Travelers, as ominous storms clouds crept across downtown Little Rock and over the ballpark.
Because it was a tight game, Linares said there was no pressure to quickly record outs and make it an official contest.
"We're into the top of the fifth and it's a 2-0 ballgame, it's not 8-0. So it could go both ways. You start thinking about (the no-hitter), but as soon as we scored two the next inning, it's like 'Oh OK. Whatever happens, happens,'" Linares said. "Before that I was just thinking that Devo was in complete control and he commanded the zone so well that they had no chance."
Hader jogged in from the visitor's bullpen in right-center field in a hard rain before the bottom of the sixth. He walked Jared Mitchell, then induced a Drew Maggi comebacker before the umpires waived the teams off the field.
Crew chief Mike Cascioppo made the call that would cement Corpus Christi's first no-hitter after a 43-minute rain delay.
"Once they called the game we were all cheering for Devo - five innings, no hits, you have to celebrate," Hader said.
"It wasn't until we were in the locker room after the game was called because of the rain that they told me it was a no-hitter," Devenski said.
Devenski's lack of awareness helped pitching coach Doug Brocail break the news to the hurler that he would leave the game.
"I thought, 'what am I going to do if he gets through the fifth with a no-hitter,'" Brocail said. "I looked at (Astros minor league pitching coordinator Dyar Miller) and I said, 'what do we do?' (Miller) said, 'it's part of the program,' so I walked down to Devo and I said, 'Hey that's it kid.' I honestly don't think that he knew he had a no-hitter."
Hader, meanwhile, recognized the "0" on the board when he glanced at the Travelers' hit column a few innings into the game.
"You don't really notice it until you look at the scoreboard. Innings were going quick, he was getting quick outs and keeping them off balance."
Friday marked the second time for each pitcher to be involved in a no-hitter. Devenski threw an individual no-no for Lexington in 2012, while Hader threw a combined no-hitter with J.D. Osborne and Daniel Minor last season.
Linares has now managed three no-hitters: Devesnki-Hader, Hader-Osborne-Minor, and one thrown by Luis Cruz and Kyle Hallock for Lancaster in 2013.
Friday was also the second time in 2015 Devenski held the opposition hitless and had to be removed due to restrictions. He pitched 6 1/3 hitless innings in Frisco April 25 and reached his pitch count.
"I wasn't frustrated," Devenski said. "I know it's protocol and part of the process and just try to continue to get better everyday."
"You always wish you could (leave him in)," Linares said. "But it's my job. I got guidelines and I got rules that I got to abide by. And we had our pitching coordinator here (Friday) night, so it wasn't like (the Astros) weren't here."
"In this organization we have rules and being part of the player development I follow those rules," Brocail said. "If Devo was to go out and throw 95, 100, 105 pitches to get a no-hitter and gets hurt that would not be good. And there's only one person to blame at that point and that would be me."
Several things have changed about Devenski since the end of last season, from his command and his curveball development, to his work ethic and intensity. He seems to do everything with a purpose and it stems from a decision to be baptized in the pool at Whataburger Field last season.
He connected with Mark Appel at the beginning of the season in Lancaster and met Hooks' team chaplain Greg Blankenship after his promotion.
"I developed a relationship with the Lord and felt like it was the right time to get baptized," Devenski reflected. "Ever since I've just had a burning desire in my life."
Brocail said the difference is noticeable.
"He's matured so much in the last eight months I can't even tell you how much of a difference it is," Brocail said. "His mindset is way better. He'll sit and pick your brain until you're tired of talking. As a pitching coach you want that to happen. At the same time you want him to figure things out on his own, which he has. He's very motivated. His work ethic is out of this world."
And according to catcher Roberto Pena, who caught the no-hitter, so is his intensity in the dugout on days he pitches.
"We don't talk to him," Pena said laughing. "We just let him go when he's in his routine."
His routine has worked in 2015. The Astros named Devenski the Hooks Pitcher of the Month for May and he ranks second in all of minor league baseball with a 0.59 earned run average.
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