Naugatuck Native Pat Dean to Get the Ball in a Big Game

Naugatuck native Pat Dean is pitching tonight (Friday, Sept. 6) in what could be the most important game of his pro career thus far.

Dean, a 2007 Naugatuck High School graduate, will take the hill for the Triple A Rochester, N.Y., Red Wings in a semifinal playoff game against the Pawtucket, R.I., Red Sox, the Triple A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The game is scheduled to start at 7:05 p.m. and will stream live on MiLB.com.

Rochester, the Triple A farm team for the Minnesota Twins, is tied with Pawtucket 1-1 in a best-of-five series in the Governor's Cup Semifinals. 

Pawtucket tied the series Thursday night in Rochester, winning 7-2 behind a solid pitching performance from Boston Red Sox hurler Clay Buchholz, who is on the MLB disabled list and is rehabbing a sore neck in Triple A. Thursday's game was held in front of 4,553 fans, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

With the series switching now to Pawtucket, the Red Wings will count on Dean to help them in this crucial situation.

Dean, a 6-foot, 1-inch, 180-pound left-hander, boasts an impressive 2.03 ERA and a 3-2 record with 22 strikeouts since joining Pawtucket on Aug. 4. 

The 24-year-old hurler might be playing in a huge game, but this reporter anticipates he will maintain his cool tonight, as he usually does in big situations. 

When Patch asked him if he was nervous about his first start in Triple A last month, Dean calmly replied: “Not at all. The game doesn’t change. I still have to throw strikes; I still have to get guys out.”

The following night, he pitched seven innings of no-hit ball, and, most importantly to Dean, the Rochester Red Wings got the win.