Last night was a big day for Long Islanders in the big leagues. Steven Matz and Nick Tropeano started for the New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, respectively.
While Matz actually had the worst outing of his young career, Tropeano was incredibly impressive while outdueling one of the best pitchers in baseball in Sonny Gray.
The West Islip grad threw five shutout innings, striking out six against two walks and six hits. It was his first start of the season.
His offense broke through with three runs in the sixth inning.
Daniel Nava hit an RBI single and Mike Trout smacked a two-run home run (his first of the season).
A combination of four relievers were able to finish off the final 12 outs and give Tropeano his first win of the season and his fifth career win.
While he may not receive nearly as much fanfare as the affable Marcus Stroman or the hometown hero in Matz, Tropeano has slowly but surely proven his worth in the big leagues as well. He lowered his career ERA to 3.78–nothing to scoff at for an American League pitcher.
Additionally, he has done so with the constant threat of being one start away from a demotion to Triple-A, considering the competition in the Angels’ rotation.
