Big relief

The first big league appearance for former VCU star Cla Meredith was hardly what one would call a promising start.

Called on to replace a struggling Boston middle reliever in the top of the seventh inning, Meredith walked into a tied game with one out and a man on second base. Two outs were all he needed.

Meredith walked the first batter. Not the best start for the rookie.

Now with men on first and second base, a groundball to the infield could get him out of trouble and out of the inning.

Meredith walked the next batter.

The pressure mounted. The bases were loaded. The game was still tied. A groundball in the infield would still end the inning. No harm done.

The next batter put the ball 325-feet over the fence and put the Red Sox out of the game.

Shortly after, Meredith was shipped down to the minor leagues, and he had a disappointing finish to the 2005 season. He was traded to the San Diego Padres’ organization.

The trade was a blessing in disguise.

“When I was traded to San Diego, it was sort of a motivation for me. I had something to prove,” Meredith said in a recent postseason interview. And he wasted little time in 2006 proving himself.

Meredith was a regular in the Padres bullpen in early July, becoming a solid set-up man for closer Trevor Hoffman. He finished the season with a 1.07 ERA while posting a 5-1 record.

As the 2006 season closed, many hometown heroes made postseason appearances. The World Series-bound Detroit Tigers featured three such players: Justin Verlander (Goochland), Brandon Inge (VCU) and Sean Casey (University of Richmond).

But central Virginia should be proud of Meredith too for his tenacious comeback and for what some fans hailed as perhaps the most memorable streak of the season.

“I get paid to go out there and get guys out,” Meredith said. “I made some good pitches, had some good defense behind me and just kept getting guys out.”

And getting them out. And getting them out.

Meredith became virtually unhittable for a span of nearly two months, pitching 34 consecutive scoreless innings – a franchise record.

He eclipsed the old mark set by Randy Jones, who pitched 30 consecutive innings for the Padres in 1980.

The streak came at a crucial time for San Diego who was in the midst of a heated play off race. Meredith’s side-winding, submariner style fooled hitters time and time again, helping to propel San Diego to a division title and into the postseason.

The streak finally came to an end on Sept. 17 in Los Angeles when Dodger rookie Russell Martin hit a 2-2 pitch over the centerfield wall, tying the score at 1-1. Meredith battled back with two strikeouts to get out of the inning without allowing another run.

“I didn’t really start to think about (the streak) until it was over,” Meredith said. “My teammates mobbed me with high-fives when I came into the dugout, even though I had just given up the lead. That had never happened before.”

Despite his sensational rookie season, Meredith did not get on the ballot as a Rookie of the Year candidate. Some sports columnists said that was a shame.

Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune said several of the most impressive rookies from the 2006 season, including Meredith, got completely overshadowed in the balloting.

From 2002-2004, Meredith played at VCU, where he holds the school’s career record for ERA at 2.52.

He left VCU after his junior year after being drafted by the Red Sox. Meredith still lives in the Richmond area in the offseason.