The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

TAHNAJ Thomas’ first win of the season came at an opportune time for the Bristol Pirates as the club looks to clinch a playoff berth in the final series of the season.

After a series of “no decisions” or a lack of run support in several impressive performances on the mound, Thomas led the Pirates to a 2-1 win over the Pulaski Yankees to conclude their three-game series.

He allowed one run on five hits and one walk over six innings while striking out three to earn the win.

“I’ve been waiting a while. It was fun to see. Coming out of the game I knew I had teammates to back me up, so I was pretty confident in getting the win,” Thomas told the Bristol Herald Courier.

“That first game I was just a bit tense,” Thomas said. “After speaking to my dad and my coaches and my teammates, I learned a lot. I’ve just settled in and tried to be myself.”

The Pirates are now in sole possession of first place in the Appalachian League West Division. The final three games of the regular season will be a homestand against the Danville Braves.

The Pirates now hold a 1/2 game lead over the Johnson City Cardinals and the Kingsport Mets who are tied for second place and they hold a two-game lead over the Elizabethton Twins with three games remaining in the regular season. Along with the push for a playoff berth, the Pirates are now one win away from clinching their first winning season since 2008.

Thomas now has a team leading 54 strikeouts on the season and is 11th in the Appalachian League.

In a 9-6 loss to the Twins, Thomas allowed just one run on three hits and one walk while striking out a career-high nine batters over five innings.

He became the first Bristol pitcher with nine strikeouts for the season.

In 11 games, Thomas is 1-3 on the year with a 3.32 ERA, 54 strikeouts in 43.1 innings.

Thomas is currently the No.16 ranked player in the Pirates organisation and No.5 among pitchers, according to MLB Pipeline.

Last season, Thomas appeared in eight games (six starts) in the Arizona Rookie League, recording a 4.58 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 27 strikeouts in 19.2 innings. He was assigned to the AZL Indians 1 in the Arizona Rookie League.

“Very much a raw project, he threw just 58 total innings in two pro summers before he was sent to the Pirates,” his MLB Pipeline analysis said. “At 6-foot-4, Thomas is an extremely athletic and projectable right-hander who has a long way to go before fulfilling his potential, considerable as it might be….Thomas is the epitome of a long-range project, but the feel for his stuff and his athleticism give him a chance to eventually get there as a starting pitcher.”