He can jam a left-handed batter with a slider, freeze a lefty with a curve — and take down a deer at 40 yards with a bow and arrow.
Meet “Hunterman,” the lefty specialist in the Cyclones bullpen and the deadliest deerstalker this side of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Hunterman — Brandon Sage, if you insist — is holding lefties to a .071 average and has a 0.64 ERA, second on the Clones.
Clearly, the Mets got something right when they drafted the 22-year-old in the 37th round, despite his 4.64 ERA for the University of South Alabama. The 6-foot-2 southpaw doesn’t talk much, but he quickly earned the trust of manager Pedro Lopez with his aggressive approach on the mound and the affection of his teammates with his slowwww ’Bama drawl.
“Hunterman’s just got that country swagger,” said catcher Ralph Henriquez, who’s from Key West, Fla. “They don’t make them like that where I’m from — he’s probably shot like 40 deer.”
Lopez preferred to focus on Sage’s other firepower.
“His secondary pitches are so good, he’s tough to catch,” said the skipper. “He’s everything they said he was — and more.”
Sage didn’t know what to expect when he got the call from the Mets. Growing up and going to college in Mobile, he could drive to the woods in minutes in his jacked-up Bronco, blasting his favorite country singer, Hank Williams Jr.
“I knew it was going to be different,” said Sage.
And?
“There are a lot more buildings.”
So he’s a man of few words. Good thing I’ve been to Mobile so I could bring up a few other differences: tattooed hipsters vs. tanned ex-cheerleaders? “No comparison,” he said. The subway vs. trucks with giant rims? “The subway’s a treat.” And Keyspan Park vs. Hank Aaron Stadium — the Mobile BayBears’ park where luxury boxes take up the entire field level? (He likes Keyspan.)
Anything I missed?
“They don’t play country music at the Buffalo Wild Wings here,” he said, referring to the national chain in the Atlantic Center Mall, a popular Cyclones hangout.
Sage’s college coach was pleased to hear that his former star was making himself at home.
“Being a southern boy, he’s probably not used to the culture in Brooklyn, but he’s a fine young man, so I’m sure he’ll get it,” said Steve Kittrell, who wasn’t surprised that Sage was adjusting to pro lefties, either. “He’s got a knack for getting lefties out, because they have to expect the breaking ball, and he can locate the fastball pretty good, too.”
The lefty killer himself didn’t have much to say about his pitching technique, but he was happy to show me how to take down a deer with one shot.
“The place you want to hit it is right behind the shoulder blade. The arrow goes right through his lung and the deer just drops,” Sage explained.
It’s the same technique for freezing lefties with a breaking ball, I asked.
“No,” said Sage.
I tried again with my best Forest Gump impersonation. “Ain’t strikin’ out a lefty just like baggin’ a big ol’ buck?”
“Not really,” said Sage.
The ballplayer had baffled the beat writer. Guess it goes to show that — to quote Hank Jr. — a country boy can survive, even in Brooklyn.
Zeke Faux is a sports columnist for The Brooklyn
Paper. His last name is pronounced “Fox.”
The Faux Hole
Outfielder John Servidio trails hated Yankee Neil Medchill for the homer lead, nine to six. All of Servidio’s homers have come at Keyspan Park. … The Cyclones were offering free season tickets for life to anyone who gave birth or promised to name their kid “Cy” or “Brooklyn” during Sunday’s “Bellies and Baseball” promotion. No one did. … Monday is both Darryl Strawberry Night and Medieval Times Night at Keyspan Park. The first 2,500 fans will get a Strawberry bobblehead. The Straw is not expected to participate in the jousts, but you never know. … Of the nine Cyclones with the most at-bats, four had batting averages below .200, the dreaded “Mendoza Line,” through Tuesday. Luis Nieves has the lowest at .138. … Reliever Lance Hoge (2.31 ERA) was called up to Savannah on July 26. … Outfielder Nick Santomauro is hitting .400 with three homers over his last five games. … The Cyclones’ .979 fielding percentage led the New York–Penn League entering Tuesday. … Michael Powers led the league in saves with seven through Tuesday. … Luis Rivera unsuccessfully attempted to break his bat over his knee after striking out to end the sixth on Tuesday. Later, Nieves successfully dashed his batting helmet into pieces after getting thrown out.
