Moore Out For More Following No-Hitter

Pitching has been the backbone of the 2009 Cyclones first-place run, but Brandon Moore accomplished something no other Brooklyn pitcher had before as he tossed a no-hitter in his last start. But the second-year right-hander is not satisfied as he looks to maximize his final two starts and help his club to a league title.

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“It’s pretty cool to have the first no-hitter in club history here in Brooklyn. It was a really good experience and it was awesome to do it,” said Brandon Moore in regards to his August 23 no-hitter of the Aberdeen Ironbirds.

”I came close a bunch of times before throwing one-hitters in high school and college, but it’s a pretty big accomplishment to throw a no-hitter in my second season of pro ball.”

Keeping hitters off the base paths has been a key factor to Moore’s success throughout the 2009 season as he allowed just 47 hits through 71 innings in which he has averaged nearly seven frames per outing. But impressively, he tossed the no-no without a main ingredient—fastball command.

”Nothing really was a whole lot different that day. I threw my changeup a little bit more than normal and my slider was working well for me, but other than that, I thought I had trouble spotting my fastball. But it worked out for me.”

“Fastball command has been important for me and it’s something I’ve been working on because I need to be able to consistently throw it for strikes when I need to in fastball counts and certain situations,” he explained.

Command of not only his fastball, but his full repertoire has been a focus to his overall success which has brought him a 6-2 record, 2.15 ERA (4th in NYPL), 63 strikeouts (5th in NYPL), and a 0.87 WHIP (3rd in NYPL). Moore, who features a changeup in addition to his slider, worked on keeping the same release point for each pitch.

”I’ve been working on my arm angles with different pitches and be able to feel the different arm slots and release points for my off speed pitches.”

”Being able to have the repetitive release point has made me more consistent and allowed me to throw more of my pitches for strikes which have in turn made me more confident. I’m not giving these hitters any credit and I’m just being aggressive with them,” he detailed.

The greater command has brought about new efficiency for Moore who was a self-admitted strikeout pitcher in college. Now he is aims work quickly and pitch to contact at this level which has resulted in length in each start.

” I’ve been throwing to contact and getting groundballs and it’s allowing me to stay in the game longer. It feels good to go through seven or eight innings each time out,” he said.

“Through college, I was always a big strikeout guy and have a good number of strikeouts this season, but I’ve learned being a ground ball pitcher isn’t a bad way to go.”

The no-hitter was certainly a personal high point for Moore not only this season, but in his career. As the regular season winds down he has one thing on his mind, finishing strong and helping to lead his club to a league title.

”I just want to come back these next two starts and have better command with my fastball. But we have a team goal of winning the league championship and that’s what we’re striving for,” he closed.

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