When the Chattanooga Lookouts opened their 2021 season at AT&T Field, Hunter Greene set a professional baseball record for a starting pitcher by rocketing 37 pitches in excess of 100 miles per hour.
Just last month, University of Tennessee reliever Ben Joyce established a new NCAA standard with a 105.5 mph pitch against Auburn.
In an era when more and more pitchers are touching triple digits with regularity, current Lookouts starter Andrew Abbott is more of a throwback, which isn't such a bad thing. After all, the 23-year-old former Virginia standout had yet to lose a game in his young pro career entering Tuesday night's scheduled start in Montgomery.
"I've never been able to gas up the guns like some of these guys, so I just kind of use what I have," Abbott said. "I've always been a really good control guy. I despise walking people, so I try to throw strikes all the time."
That approach was no more evident than on May 14, when the 6-foot, 180-pounder from South Boston, Virginia, made his Lookouts debut against the visiting Mississippi Braves. In working nearly six scoreless innings, Abbott scattered three hits and racked up a whopping 12 strikeouts in Chattanooga's eventual 7-3 win, all while mixing his speeds from 79-94 mph.
In his short stretch with the Lookouts, Abbott is 3-0 with a 3.00 earned run average with 28 strikeouts in 21 innings.
"I kind of wanted to come out and make sure I belonged here," he said. "These guys are all a step above high-A, so I didn't want the game to speed up on me. It makes the game easier for pitchers when you get ahead, because then hitters have to hit your best stuff instead of you feeding them fastballs when they're waiting for fastballs.
"The guessing game is fun, and I felt very unpredictable my first game."
Abbott's debut with the Lookouts transpired six days after his finale with the Dayton (Ohio) Dragons, which is another one of his favorite outings of the year.
"This has probably been the best start to a season that I've had in my career," Abbott said. "The thing that meant the most to me when I got promoted was the fact that my parents were there in Dayton on Mothers' Day. That made it even more special.
"I told my mom that she could cancel the next plane ticket to Dayton and that I was going to Chattanooga."
His numbers at Dayton were beyond worthy of a promotion, going 3-0 with an 0.67 ERA and racking up 40 strikeouts in 27 innings.
Abbott was a reliever for his first three seasons for the Cavaliers. He became a starter last year and compiled a 9-6 record with a 2.87 ERA, with the top performance being his six scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts during a 6-0 blanking of Tennessee at the College World Series.
QUICK Q&A WITH ANDREW ABBOTT
Q: Who was your favorite player growing up?A: “Cliff Lee.”Q: Which ACC team did you want to beat the most?A: “Florida State.”Q: What is your first favorite thing about Chattanooga?A: “The Riverwalk.”Q: Who is Virginia’s most famous athlete?A: “Ralph Sampson or Ryan Zimmerman.”Q: What movie always hooks you?A: “It’s ‘Interstellar.’ I could probably be asleep and still tell you what’s going on.”
That outing against the Volunteers helped justify the Cincinnati Reds selecting Abbott in the second round last July and providing him a $1.3 million signing bonus, and he hasn't minded seeing the orange-clad spectators at AT&T Field.
"It's definitely a good flashback to have, I can tell you that," Abbott said with a laugh.
'Byrd' to Triple-A
One of Chattanooga's most popular players in recent years has flown the coop.
Infielder Robbie "Byrd" Tenerowicz, who always showcased an impressive mullet at AT&T Field, has been promoted by the Reds to Triple-A Louisville. In 45 games with the Lookouts this season, Tenerowicz hit .288 with six home runs and 22 RBIs.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.