Paul Meyer: Rookie Maholm Winner in Debut

Pitches 8 innings as Pirates roll, 6-0
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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MILWAUKEE -- Paul Maholm received good news before the game, then made news a few hours later while leading the Pirates to a 6-0 victory against Milwaukee.
The left-hander, the Pirates' top draft pick in 2003, yielded just four hits and three walks and struck out five in eight innings. He also got his first major-league hit, an infield single in the fourth.

Maholm became the first Pirates starter to win in his debut since Joe Beimel, another left-hander who went five innings in a 9-3 victory at Houston April 8, 2001.
Maholm, who just purchased a new home near Biloxi, Miss., took the mound knowing his house and his in-laws, who live 2 miles from it, were OK.

Which seemed amazing, considering the Biloxi area took a direct hit Monday from Hurricane Katrina.

"The house is really pretty good," Maholm said. "There was some damage to a fence, and we lost some shingles, but everybody's fine."

"I had a good conversation [about it] with him Monday," manager Lloyd McClendon said before the game. "He did not seem overly concerned. He left me with a pretty comfortable feeling as far as his mental state."

Pitching coach Spin Williams saw Maholm a bit during spring training and in one bullpen session Sunday after he joined the Pirates.

"I like his poise," Williams said. "I like his bulldog-type attitude."

That's no surprise. Maholm is a product of Mississippi State, home of the Bulldogs.

"He goes out and throws four pitches for strikes," Williams said. "He seemed to be pretty focused in spring training, the little bit I saw him, and handled himself very well. Being from a major college helped him, I'm sure, but he's got very good mound poise."

"He's a strike-thrower," McClendon said. "He knows what he's doing. He's certainly capable of following the scouting report and a game plan."

Maholm, who comfortably throws his fastball in the 88-90 mph range, made his debut on the same mound another promising Pirates left-hander -- Zach Duke --did July 2.

"Makeup-wise and competitive-spirit wise, he's a lot like Duke," McClendon said. "He's real poised and off the charts with his makeup. He's not going to be overwhelmed by the situation."
Maholm began this season with Class AA Altoona, then moved to Class AAA Indianapolis July 19. He was 1-1 with a 3.53 earned run average in six starts.

"He was aggressive in the zone and he threw strikes," third baseman Ty Wigginton said. "Anytime you have a pitcher who's willing to go out and let his defense work for him, he's going to be successful."

In the hours before his debut, Maholm did a lot of pacing, watching TV and reading magazines in the clubhouse.

Then, he watched his teammates present him with a 5-0 lead before he threw his first major-league pitch.

Milwaukee starter Doug Davis, 0-3 with nine no-decisions in his previous 12 starts, quickly got the first two outs in the first before he lost the strike zone.

He walked Jason Bay and Craig Wilson on 3-2 pitches. Ryan Doumit dropped a run-scoring single into short left-center field. Brad Eldred, who entered the game 1 for 24 with 16 strikeouts, and Wigginton also walked on 3-2 pitches. Wigginton's walk forced in the second run.

Jack Wilson sliced a pop fly into right field near the foul line. The diving Corey Hart had the ball in his glove, but it fell loose when he hit the ground. The double boosted the Pirates' lead to 5-0.
On a 1-1 pitch to Maholm, Wilson apparently misread a sign and stole third, safe only because of a low throw from catcher Damian Miller.

Maholm looked at a third strike on Davis' 41st pitch before beginning his mound career.

He yielded a leadoff double to Brady Clark, but struck out Rickie Weeks, retired Lyle Overbay on a bouncer to second base and set down Carlos Lee on a fly to right.