As you know, Dodger backup catcher Drew Butera was DFA's a few days back and subsequently traded to the Angels yesterday. And with that, the Butera Era as a Dodger is over, for now. After all, at just 31-years of age you never know if he might make another appearance in Dodger Blue.
Most stories written about his departure focused primarily on his inability to hit and his stints as a relief pitcher. As you know, Drew got onto the mound for a couple of laugher's and ended up showing off a 90+ fastball to the delight of just about everyone. Watch both appearances here and here.
Heck, his fame on the mound even reached the shores of Japan. During his stint as a catcher for the MLB squad during the Japan Series numerous fans came armed with signs in honor of Butera. Check out the photo on the right to see what I mean. It was tweeted out by @TheReal2ryoSS.Notable as these appearances were, I think Butera would agree that they were not his main highlight of this past season. Instead, I think his work behind the plate on Sunday, May 25th ranks as even better. On this afternoon, Drew Butera caught his second career no-hitter (Francisco Liriano was his first in 2011); becoming the fifth catcher to do so in both leagues.
Dodger hurler Josh Beckett was the master on the diamond as Butera guided him to the greatest performance of his career. Per a story on MLB.com by Michael Radano:
"I was a nervous wreck from the fourth inning on," said Butera, who worked with Beckett over a 128-pitch afternoon. "He told me he had never gotten a no-hitter into the fourth and I'm like, great, now I'm off my thinking pattern. But he said it every inning. You try not to think too far ahead. One hitter and one pitch at a time. It never gets old."Lightening certainly struck twice for Drew Butera.
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"I was just as excited for Josh as I was for Liriano. We won the game, we won the series, we won the road trip, now maybe we can get some momentum. These things don't happen every day. They happen once in a lifetime, maybe."
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| (Butera hugging Beckett after no-hitter, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014) |
BTW, being the class act that he is, Drew Butera thanked us all on twitter yesterday:
I Want to thank the dodgers and the fans for the great experience and support. Enjoyed my time there.
— Drew Butera (@drewbutera) December 10, 2014
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