Hernan Iribarren: Man of Many Talents
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Credit: Pat Pfister[/caption]
Hernan Iribarren, a 31-year-old from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, is one of the most versatile players on the Bats roster. Just through the first 46 games of the 2016 season, Iribarren has played six out of the nine field positions. It’s safe to say that Iribarren has a wide range of talents up his sleeve.
On Friday, May 20th, Iribarren started as the center fielder when the Bats took on the Columbus Clippers for the first game of a three-game series. He made several catches and impressive throws that helped slow the Clippers throughout the game. But the most impressive feat of the night came when the new pitcher walked up to the mound in the ninth inning, and it was Iribarren warming up.
Before taking the mound on Friday, Iribarren had pitched for the Bats eight other times during his first two years in Louisville. He pitched in six games in 2014, allowing only one hit and one hit batter and in two games in 2015 allowing three hits, one run, one walk and another hit batter. He earned his first strikeout on September 1st, 2015 against Toledo when he fanned Josh Wilson.
Iribarren took the mound against three Columbus Clippers- Collin Cowgill, Guillermo Quiroz and Ronny Rodriguez. The trio had combined for three runs scored, a home run, and three RBI during Fridays game. To the crowd’s delight, Iribarren pitched a perfect inning, striking out Cowgill in the process.
When asked about his time on the mound, Iribarren said, “I enjoy the experience. I go out there to have fun. I don’t think about our situation, I just focus on doing what I can.”
His teammates find the fun in the matter as well, pointing out that his fastest pitch is coming in the mid-to-high 50s where as the rest of the bullpen is known to pitch steady speeds in the 90s. On that subject, Iribarren was all smiles. “Everyone gets a good laugh. I don’t have the top speeds, but that’s ok.”
Looking back at Iribarren’s stats, he is having a great start to the season. In the homestand finale on Sunday afternoon, Iribarren had five at bats, with three hits, one walk and two runs scored. He was on fire. Entering play tonight (5/27), Iribarren has the highest batting average for the Bats, a solid .384 .
With about 100 games remaining in the season, it will be a treat to see what all Iribarren has left to show the fans.
