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06/30/2004 Archived Entry: "Italian Baseball News: MISTER ZERO"
MISTER ZERO by Vincenzo Russo
The record scoreless inning streak of RHP David ROLLANDINI (Grosseto) is still rolling! Saturday June 26, the 25 year-old native of Springfield (Virginia) pitched six shutout innings vs. Parma (Grosseto won 10–0) with 8 K, 3 BB and just 1 hit, extending his formidable streak at 60 innings without allowing an earned run (he’s 9-0, 0.00, 60 IP, 57 K, 18 BB, 26 H, for the season). The former Oklahoma State alumn and indy leaguer (last season played in the Atlantic League for Nashua Pride and Pennsylvania Road Warriors) is on pace for breaking an historical record of Italian baseball: the lowest ERA in a season for a starter, marked by Giulio Glorioso (Milano - 0.46) in 1961. The last twenty years, only Rich Olsen (Grosseto – 1986) went south of 1.00 ERA mark (0.99).
Leaders: former big leaguer Jaime NAVARRO (a teammate of Rollandini) is the leader of Serie A1 in wins (10-0), and strike out (91), while is 3° in ERA (1.76), behind Super Rolly and dominican Jesus MATOS (Bologna - former minor leaguer with Colorado) 1.41.
Other leaders:
AVE: Rafael OZUNA (Grosseto – former Dodgers farmhand) .434;
HR: Giuseppe MAZZANTI (Nettuno) 6;
RBI: Fausto SOLANO (Bologna – former minor leaguer with Toronto) 38;
Runs: Claudio LIVERZIANI (Bologna): 37;
SB: Frank CANDELA (Nettuno – former Brewers farmhand) 30, on pace for breaking Italian all – time record of 43 (Dario Rossi – Milano 1966).
Transactions: Nettuno released RHP Anthony CHAVEZ (5-4, 3.95), who was suffering a shoulder injury, and signed LHP Jesus PENA (29), a dominican pitcher with 48 MLB games under his belt with Chicago White Sox and Boston (in 1999/2000). Last year he piched in the Rockies organization (Colorado Springs/AAA). Pena won in his Italian league debut last friday June 25 (Nettuno – Rho – 4-0): 6 IP, 5K, 4 H, 0 R.
STANDINGS
TEAM W - L PCT GB
Grosseto 29-4 .879 -
Bologna 24-6 .800 3.5
Parma 21-12 .636 8
Nettuno 19-14 .576 10
Rimini 17-16 .515 12
Modena 16-17 .485 13
Paterṇ 15-18 .455 14
S. Marino 11-19 .367 16.5
Anzio 8-25 .242 21
Rho 3-30 .091 26
European news: The NEPTUNUS ROTTERDAM (Netherlands) won for the fifth year in a row the European championship for clubs. In the final game, held in San Marino, the dutch team beat Italian champion Bologna 8-1, with a great performance of Ps Rob CORDEMANS and australian Tom BECKER, who combined for a two-hitter. The winning pitcher was Becker (5.1 IP, 5 K, H, 0 R); Jesus MATOS suffered the loss. The only Italian run went on a solo-shot of 1B Claudio LIVERZIANI, the best Italian player and former Mariners minor leaguer (single A). Last Italian team to win the European title was Parma in 1999.
