RailCats ace Cogan picks up Pitcher of the Month award
Published on August 1, 2009 under Northern League (NL)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release
GARY, Ind. - The two-time defending Pitcher of the Week, Gary SouthShore RailCats left-hander Tony Cogan today was named the Northern League's Pitcher of the Month for an outstanding July in which the Stanford grad went 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA over six starts.
Cogan, 32, backs up his Pitcher of the Week selections on July 19 and 26 with the first Pitcher of the Month award of his career. The third-year RailCats hurler made four near-perfect starts in July and set a franchise record with a 28.2 inning scoreless streak spanning those four outings July 10-22. In 44.0 innings in July, Cogan allowed only 34 hits (.213 batting average against), walked just eight men and struck out 31. The Highland Park, Ill. native matched his 2.25 ERA in the month with a miniscule 0.95 WHIP.
Cogan made a bit of personal history July 14 at U. S. Steel Yard in his third start of the month, twirling the first complete game shutout of his professional career against the Kansas City T-Bones, one of only two nine-inning shutouts in the Northern League this year. Cogan struck out a season-high eight that day and gave up only four hits. Cogan did not allow an earned run in three of his six starts in July, including eight shutout innings his next time out, July 18 against Schaumburg.
On the strength of his July, Cogan moved into the top 10 in the league in ERA (3.87, 7th), wins (6, 4th) and strikeouts (70, 3rd) this season. The Northern League's leader in starts (16) and innings pitched (104.2), Cogan has made every one of his scheduled starts this year after a terrific 2008 season that was strong despite two months on the disabled list with an oblique tear. Cogan set the RailCats single-season ERA record (2.08) as a starter last season after setting the franchise saves record (25) in 2007. The former Kansas City Royal has been in professional baseball since being drafted by the Royals out of Stanford in 1999.
Cogan is the first RailCats player to be named a Player or Pitcher of the Month this season. Cogan is a five-time Northern League Pitcher of the Week and becomes the first RailCats player to win a monthly award since Koichi Misawa was named the league's Pitcher of the Month in July 2008. Cogan is the fifth RailCats pitcher all-time to earn the honor, with Willie Glen the only two-time winner.
The RailCats (39-29) went 19-7 in July and begin August tonight with the second of a three-game series in Kansas City against the T-Bones. Garret Holleran will start for the RailCats tonight with Cogan getting the nod in Sunday's series finale.
Northern League Stories from August 1, 2009
- RedHawks take Game Two - Joliet JackHammers
- Kansas City Falls, 2-0, to RailCats in Game Two - Kansas City Monarchs
- Holleran Tames T-Bones, RailCats Win 2-0 in Kansas City - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- Flyers triumph in pitchers' duel - Schaumburg Flyers
- RailCats ace Cogan picks up Pitcher of the Month award - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- Jackson, Cogan named Player and Pitcher of the Month - NL
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