One is the Nationwide League’s reigning Cy Younger Award winner. The opposite is its present ERA chief.
On Tuesday night time at Dodger Stadium, they’ll face off for the primary time of their massive league careers, with Corbin Burnes and Tony Gonsolin every taking the mound for the second sport of this week’s collection between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Dodgers.
And at a pizza restaurant on the opposite aspect of town, the person who coached each pitchers in school might be watching with a proud smile.
“I’m so pumped,” mentioned Eric Valenzuela, who coached Gonsolin and Burnes once they have been teammates at Saint Mary’s School. “I texted them this morning. It’s tremendous thrilling.”
Nowadays, Valenzuela is the coach of the Lengthy Seaside State baseball crew, which is busy this week welcoming again its gamers for the primary week of college.
In any other case, he would have been at Chavez Ravine on Tuesday, the place the 2 most profitable gamers of his earlier tenure at Saint Mary’s will sq. off in a long-awaited head-to-head matchup.
“It’ll be enjoyable,” Burnes mentioned Monday. “I’ve clearly performed towards Tony for 4 or 5 years now, however have by no means had the prospect to pitch towards him after taking part in with him in class. It’ll be enjoyable. Wanting ahead to it.”
Final yr, Burnes was baseball’s breakout star on the mound, going 11-5 with a major-league finest 2.43 ERA to win the Cy Younger Award.
This season, Gonsolin has emerged as one of many majors’ largest surprises, with an MLB-best 15-1 file and NL-best 2.12 ERA.
“It’s unbelievable, I’m so fired up for these guys,” Valenzuela mentioned. “We’re a cut up household tonight.”
Valenzuela was central to each pitchers’ origin tales on the mound.
“He’s become in all probability a greater decide than the Dodgers have been initially considering they have been getting.”
— Milwaukee pitcher Corbin Burnes on school teammate Tony Gonsolin
When he was employed as Saint Mary’s coach forward of the 2014, Gonsolin was a rising sophomore who primarily was a batter throughout his first yr at Saint Mary’s. Burnes was an incoming freshman who, regardless of having a promising arm, largely performed shortstop in highschool.
Neither of them, on the time, appeared destined for star careers as pitchers.
However with Valenzuela attempting to rebuild the floundering program’s skinny roster — he had inherited solely 19 gamers and about half a dozen pitchers — he wanted each to assist bolster the crew’s pitching workers.
“They have been each type of uncooked,” Valenzuela mentioned.
However in addition they had potential.
Burnes had a giant arm and step by step dialed in his command to develop into Saint Mary’s finest starter. Gonsolin ultimately honed within the pure motion on his pitches to develop into a weapon out of the bullpen — although nonetheless noticed himself as a hitter first, serving a in a full-time two-way function as an outfielder as effectively.
“In school, he was extra targeted on hitting,” Burnes chuckled. “Pitching was just like the enjoyable factor he would do.”
Collectively, they led Saint Mary’s to a convention championship and NCAA event look in 2016.
Then, they have been each taken within the prime 10 rounds of that yr’s draft — Burnes going within the fourth spherical to the Brewers, Gonsolin within the ninth spherical to the Dodgers.
“When he put all his focus to the arm care, the routine, on simply pitching, I feel is when issues took off for him,” Burnes mentioned of Gonsolin, who was considered one of his closest mates at Saint Mary’s. “He’s become in all probability a greater decide than the Dodgers have been initially considering they have been getting.”
Although their paths didn’t cross a lot within the minors, Gonsolin and Burnes stored in contact all through their ascents to the large leagues.
“[Since we’ve debuted], we’ve been holding monitor of each other,” Burnes mentioned. “We’re texting all year long, simply type of checking in. It’s good.”
Valenzuela stayed shut with every participant, too.
In the course of the lockout this previous winter, Gonsolin went to Lengthy Seaside State’s services to throw, giving Valenzuela an early trace of the breakout yr that’s adopted.
“I simply noticed much more confidence,” Valenzuela mentioned. “He is aware of he belongs there, that he can take that subsequent step.”
In the course of the All-Star Recreation in Los Angeles final month — during which Burnes and Gonsolin have been teammates on the Nationwide League roster — Valenzuela linked with Burnes throughout a celebration thrown by the pitcher’s company.
“They’re adults, they’re completely different than they have been as freshmen, however they nonetheless have those self same personalities,” Valenzuela mentioned. “Corbin talks and he’s outgoing and he’s enjoyable. After which Tony is a bit of bit extra quiet and to himself, in a great way. They’re completely different. You needed to coach them completely different. … However they’re particular in their very own manner.”
Nonetheless, for nearly as good as they have been in school, Valenzuela mentioned he by no means may have imagined this — to not solely see his two former gamers face off in a big-league sport, however doing in order two of baseball’s prime pitchers.
“Each of them have had some ups and downs,” Valenzuela mentioned, referencing Burnes’ 8.82 ERA in 2019, and Gonsolin’s struggles with accidents the last few seasons. “However I simply like to see their progress. Clearly, Corbin type of skyrocketed [the last couple of years]. And now, Tony is true within the combine as effectively. It’s fairly cool.”
Gonsolin obtained the higher of Burnes and the Brewers. He gave up one run in 5 innings to get the win, bettering to 16-1. Burnes lasted 3 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs, and took the loss.
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