Squirrels' Black named Eastern League Pitcher of the Month
RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond Flying Squirrels pitcher Mason Black has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for June, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday afternoon.
RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond Flying Squirrels pitcher Mason Black has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for June, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday afternoon.
In his five June starts, Black posted a 1.27 ERA and struck out 25 batters in 21.1 innings. He closed the month with four consecutive scoreless starts, a streak he extended in his July 1 outing at Reading, which landed him last week’s Eastern League Pitcher of the Week award.
Mason Black lit it up tonight 🔥
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 20, 2023
5.0 IP | 2 H | 0 R | 2 BB | 6 SO pic.twitter.com/dpvOZUlyLX
On June 8, Black began his scoreless streak with a six-strikeout performance over four innings against the Altoona Curve at The Diamond. He followed with another four-inning, two-hit outing at Bowie on June 14.
In the Flying Squirrels’ series against the Harrisburg Senators, Black opened the week on June 20 with five scoreless innings and six strikeouts and closed the series with five punchouts over 4.1 innings on June 25.
Mason Black lit it up tonight 🔥
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 20, 2023
5.0 IP | 2 H | 0 R | 2 BB | 6 SO pic.twitter.com/dpvOZUlyLX
Out of Eastern League pitchers who worked at least 20 innings in the month of June, Black led the league in ERA (1.27) and WHIP (0.84), had the second-lowest opponents’ batting average (.158) and the sixth-lowest walks-per-nine-innings (2.53).
Including his five perfect innings on Saturday at Reading, Black has pitched five consecutive scoreless starts and has worked 22.2 consecutive scoreless innings overall since June 2.
Among Eastern League pitchers this season (min. 50 IP), Black has the third-lowest WHIP (1.05) and third-lowest BAA (.196). He also holds the second-highest strikeout percentage (34.3) and is fifth in K/9 (11.3). Black has made 15 starts for the Flying Squirrels this year, going 1-4 with a 3.66 ERA.
A native of Scranton, Pa., Black was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Lehigh University. This year is his first season at the Double-A level.
Last year with Low-A San Jose and High-A Eugene, Black was named the California League Pitcher of the Month for May, the Northwest League Pitcher of the Week on Sept. 4 and an MiLB.com Giants Organization All-Star.
The Flying Squirrels are home to face the Bowie Baysox at The Diamond through Sunday. Tickets are available online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-FUNN (3866) or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office.