Park snaps victory mark
MIAMI — Three years ago, Chan Ho Park was pitching in the minors when he was informed that he was only 11 wins shy of breaking Hideo Nomo's record for most wins by an Asian-born pitcher in the major leagues.
Park thought reaching that mark was a long shot, but on Friday night he pitched three scoreless innings in relief to earn the record-breaking win for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 5-1 victory over the Florida Marlins.
"It's very special, 124 is nothing great for the major leagues, but it's very special," Park said. "It makes me think about 17 years ago when I first came, the people who brought me here, who helped me and still help me."
Chris Snyder and surging rookie Pedro Alvarez homered for the Pirates.
"With the way the season went for us, to be able to have him accomplish something like that definitely makes things a little bit easier to swallow," Snyder said.
Park (4-3), a 37-year-old right-hander from South Korea, struck out six and did not allow a hit. He credited a former teammate, New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, for his success on the record-setting night.
"I've been working on the cutter," Park said. "I saw Mariano pitch a lot earlier this season with the Yankees and I learned from him about grips, how to hold the grips. I've been working all year and I didn't have the confidence during the games, but today I finally made it. It was great."
Pirates starter Daniel McCutchen allowed one run and five hits in four innings before he was relieved by Park.
"That's a huge accomplishment for him and his country and just to be a part of that, that was probably the highlight of my baseball career so far," McCutchen said.
Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan each pitched a scoreless inning to preserve the win for Park.
"The club was really rallying behind him," Pirates manager John Russell said. "I know it's a dream come true for him, so it's a special moment for us."
It also was a rare road victory for the Pirates, who improved to 17-62 away from home. They must win one of their final two games to avoid matching the 1963 New York Mets for the worst road record in a 162-game season.
Pittsburgh has the worst overall mark in the majors at 57-103 and is assured of the top pick in next year's amateur draft.
