OXFORD | Mike Bianco sat in the first base dugout at Oxford High School’s baseball field and stared at his phone.
It was a half hour before his Rebels took the field for a fall intrasquad, and he’d soon focus on that, but until then he was watching the Red Sox and Astros in the American League Divisional Series.
Drew Pomeranz, Ole Miss great and former Golden Spikes runner-up (to Bryce Harper), made his first career postseason start, taking the mound for Boston in game two of the series. The start didn’t go that well, as Houston got to the left-hander for four runs on five hits in two-plus innings.
Pomeranz gave up home runs to Carlos Correa and George Springer, taking the loss in Houston’s 8-2 win to go up 2-0 in the series. But for Bianco he talked about Pomeranz’s journey more than the day.
“It’s so cool and you’re so proud of those guys when they not only reach the Big Leagues and make it but then reach the pinnacle and be an impact player and make the playoffs,” Bianco said.
Pomeranz pitched in relief during last season’s playoffs with Boston, but this season was notable, as he made the AL All-Star team and went 17-6 with a 3.32 ERA and 1.3 WHIP.
The Collierville, Tennessee, native was the fifth pick in the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Indians) and spent three seasons with Colorado before two seasons in Oakland and the 2016 year split between San Diego and Boston. He’s won 28 games the past two seasons after 14 wins total the first five seasons.
He’s the highest draft pick in Ole Miss program history.
“I was getting dressed to come over here, and it was 1 p.m and I asked why they didn’t have the game on because we had a Rebel pitching,” Bianco said. “Someone says ‘yeah it’s 1:04.’ It was only seven years ago that he was getting dressed in our locker room, and that’s what all these guys dream of. It’s really neat and I’m really proud of him.”
In his final season in Oxford, Pomeranz finished 9-2 with 139 strikeouts in 100.2 innings. He held opponents to a .195 batting average against during the final seasons before the NCAA moved to BBCOR bats.
His most memorable start was in 2009, as he threw 116 pitches and beat Western Kentucky with a 16-strikeout complete game in the final of the Oxford Regional. He had thrown 105 pitches to beat Monmouth two days before the start.
