THE MASTER'S CONFIDENCE-BUILDER; WITH ESCOBAR ON MOUND, TEAM FEELS IT CAN'T LOSE.Byline: Lee Barnathan Daily News Staff Writer It's cold and rainy, not a day made for baseball. But The Master's College History The Master's College was founded as Los Angeles Baptist Theological Seminary on May 25, 1927 to meet the need for a fundamental Baptist school on the West Coast. pitcher Ruben Escobar stands in the outfield with a smile on his face making long tosses with other pitchers. ``It's pretty nippy nip·py adj. nip·pi·er, nip·pi·est 1. Tending to nip: an exuberant, nippy puppy. 2. Sharp or biting: nippy cheese. 3. ,'' Escobar said, the smile never leaving his face. These days, it's pretty easy to be smiling if you're Escobar or associated with the baseball program. Escobar is 8-0 with a 1.54 ERA. He won his first eight decisions before his first no-decision Friday against Cal Baptist, in which he was touched for three earned runs earned run n. Baseball A run scored without the aid of an error, used in computing earned run averages. Noun 1. earned run - a run that was not scored as the result of an error by the other team in six innings, sending his ERA up from 1.29 to its current spot. The team was 24-6 heading into Wednesday's game with Biola. Escobar was scheduled to start that game, and a win would tie him with Chris Beckfor most wins in a season. The win also would bring the school closer to its record-tying 28th victory. It's enough to instill in·still v. To pour in drop by drop. in  stil·la tion n. confidence in his teammates.
``When Ruben throws, we're gonna win,'' catcher Aaron Penberthy said. ``With Ruben, he wants to win. He's got the bulldog bulldog, breed of thick-set nonsporting dog developed in the British Isles many centuries ago. It stands from 13 to 15 in. (33–38.1 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 40 to 50 lb (18.1–22.7 kg). in him. He does not want to make a mistake. The determination to be the best - that's what he wants to do.'' Escobar is no overnight success. Last season as a junior, he set the school record with 130 innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is in the game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. . But he didn't have the talent of this season's squad behind him, and finished 8-6. He also didn't have as wicked a changeup change·up n. Baseball A pitch intended to look like a fastball, which actually approaches the plate at a slow speed, thereby causing the batter to swing prematurely. [Alteration of change-of-pace.] as he has now. ``My goal was, you need one more pitch to get batters off-balanced,'' Escobar said. He worked over the summer to perfect his changeup, four hours a day. He went to bed holding a baseball with the proper grip. His 80-something mph fastball is fine, but now he throws his changeup at any time in the count for strikes. A batter can't sit on the fastball because he doesn't know what's coming. As a result, he has walked just 16 in 76 innings. Not only that, when you go to bat against Escobar, he's gunning for you. He's not going to waste pitches. He comes after you and tries to retire you quickly. It's like Don Drysdale ``You've got to stay focused,'' Escobar said. ``If the guy's really good, I think, `I want you. You're mine.' '' No matter how cold it is. ``I've never played on a team with that kind of pitcher who hates to lose,'' leadoff batter Kurt Fillmore said. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Pitcher Ruben Escobar of The Master's entered Wednesday's play with an 8-0 record and a 1.54 ERA, thanks partly to the development of his changeup. Hans Gutknecht/Daily News |
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