CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In what was likely Jameson Taillon's final pitch ever at Appalachian Power Park, the ball bounced off home plate.
For a swinging third strike.
"I threw him a hard curveball in the dirt," Taillon said after his West Virginia Power defeated visiting Lexington, 9-0, in a South Atlantic League baseball game Sunday afternoon.
"They were chasing it down and I had my best curveball of the year, so I threw it."
Lexington's Bryce Lane swung haplessly, but the dirtball was too tough to handle for Power catcher Kawika Emsley-Pai, who had to scramble and throw to first to retire Lane and end Taillon's day after four innings.
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Taillon, who is 19 years old, headed toward the Power clubhouse with a stat line of four innings, no earned runs, three hits and a career-high nine strikeouts.
He struck out two batters in each of the first three innings and all three in his final frame pitching in Charleston.
The Pirates' 2010 top overall pick will move up the organizational ladder next season.
Taillon lowered his season ERA to 4.16 with the four scoreless innings. After taking his lumps in July, Taillon has allowed just two earned runs and struck out 17 in his last 13 innings.
"I learned a lot for a year," Taillon said. "Learned something new every week. I feel like I'm a completely different pitcher than I was when I first got here, and for the better. I'm a more complete pitcher and I've grown as a person."
Taillon arrived in Charleston to much fanfare in late April. He made 11 starts at Power Park, but he considered Sunday's outing his best, home or away.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In what was likely Jameson Taillon's final pitch ever at Appalachian Power Park, the ball bounced off home plate.
For a swinging third strike.
"I threw him a hard curveball in the dirt," Taillon said after his West Virginia Power defeated visiting Lexington, 9-0, in a South Atlantic League baseball game Sunday afternoon.
"They were chasing it down and I had my best curveball of the year, so I threw it."
Lexington's Bryce Lane swung haplessly, but the dirtball was too tough to handle for Power catcher Kawika Emsley-Pai, who had to scramble and throw to first to retire Lane and end Taillon's day after four innings.
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Taillon, who is 19 years old, headed toward the Power clubhouse with a stat line of four innings, no earned runs, three hits and a career-high nine strikeouts.
He struck out two batters in each of the first three innings and all three in his final frame pitching in Charleston.
The Pirates' 2010 top overall pick will move up the organizational ladder next season.
Taillon lowered his season ERA to 4.16 with the four scoreless innings. After taking his lumps in July, Taillon has allowed just two earned runs and struck out 17 in his last 13 innings.
"I learned a lot for a year," Taillon said. "Learned something new every week. I feel like I'm a completely different pitcher than I was when I first got here, and for the better. I'm a more complete pitcher and I've grown as a person."
Taillon arrived in Charleston to much fanfare in late April. He made 11 starts at Power Park, but he considered Sunday's outing his best, home or away.
He retired 12 batters: nine by strikeout, one on a grounder to third and two on harmless fly balls.
With two runners in scoring position in the top of the fourth, he struck out Lane on the nasty curveball to escape the jam.
"This is probably the best I've felt, which is really rewarding for being late in the year and feel as good as I feel," Taillon said. "That means we've put together a program that really works and has allowed me to get stronger as the year goes."
Taillon logged 62 2/3 innings as a high school senior last year, so the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Power's parent club, wanted to limit him to 90-100 innings this season. After Sunday's start, Taillon has thrown 88 2/3 innings.
He could throw once more on the team's final road trip to Delmarva (Sept. 1-5).
"I knew coming here was going to be a challenge because I was one of the youngest players in the league," Taillon said. "The hitters are good and they hit your mistakes. They teach you what you need to learn.
"Overall the experience was better than I thought it'd be. It's the Sally League so you don't come in expecting great things, but the field was great, the fans were great and the host parents were great.
"It was a good year."
POWER POINTS: Taillon did not factor into the decision for the 17th time this season. He never won a home start ... A pair of Power hitters had four hits Sunday: shortstop Drew Maggi and designated hitter Justin Howard. West Virginia had 19 hits overall ... Six of West Virginia's nine hitters had multi-hit games Sunday. Six also had at least one RBI ... First baseman Chase Lyles hit his second home run of the season. He went opposite field in the bottom of the seventh.
Contact sportswriter Chuck McGill at chuck.mcg...@dailymail.com or 304-348-1712.
