Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Graduate Eric Junge Now 2-0 with the Phillies
9/11/2002 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sept. 25, 2002
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell University graduate Eric Junge improved his record to 2-0 as a major leaguer with 4 2/3 impressive innings in relief Tuesday night against the National League East champion Atlanta Braves.
Junge entered the game in the first inning after an injury to starter Vicente Padilla, induced a double play to escape the inning, then allowed only one run over the next four innings while striking out three as the Phillies rallied for a 5-3 victory.
In four appearances, covering 12 2/3 innings, Junge has an impressive 1.42 earned run average. He has allowed two earned runs on 14 hits and five walks, while striking out 11.
Junge received a starting opportunity on Sept. 14 and did not allow an earned run in five innings in a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The outing marked his first major league victory.
Junge was called up by the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 10, and when he made his debut against the Flordia Marlins a day later he became the first Bucknellian to appear in a major league baseball game since Bob Keegan's six-year pitching career ended with the Chicago White Sox in 1958.
Junge, a 1999 Bucknell graduate, posted a 12-6 record with a 3.54 earned run average in 29 starts with Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Red Barons' season officially ended last week with a loss to Buffalo in the International League playoffs. Originally an 11th-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Junge was traded along with another minor leaguer to the Phillies for veteran lefthander Omar Daal in November 2001.
He spent the entire 2001 season at Double A Jacksonville, finishing ninth in the Southern League with a 3.46 ERA while limiting opponents to a .237 batting average.
Junge was recalled during the first game of a Sept. 10 doubleheader with the Marlins and was available for the nightcap, although he did not enter the game.
While used exclusively as a starting pitcher in the minors this season, Phillies manager Larry Bowa indicated that Junge will be utilized primarily in a relief role for the remainder of the season. Through Sept. 24, the Phillies are tied for second place in the National League East with a 79-78. They are 9-3 since Junge's promotion.
A native of Rye, N.Y., Junge left Bucknell with a record of 16-15 and a school-record 12 saves. He recorded six saves in 1997 to set the Bucknell single-season mark. He helped lead Bucknell to a Patriot League championship in 1996.
Junge became the first Bison baseball player to be drafted by a major league team since Andy Nezelek was picked by the Atlanta Braves in 1986. He was the first Bucknell alum to play for a major league organization since Joe Markulike played for Idaho Falls in the Braves organization in 1990.
Junge is the 22nd Bucknellian to appear in a major league game. Keegan was the last, completing a solid six-year career with the White Sox in 1958. His best season was 1954, when he went 16-9 with a 3.09 ERA. The most famous Bison baseball player is Hall-of-Famer Christy Mathewson, who won 373 games, nearly all with the New York Giants, from 1900-16.
Kevin McDowell, a 2001 Bucknell graduate, also recently completed a very successful stint in the minor leagues this season. A 15th-round draft choice of the Detroit Tigers in June 2001, McDowell finished 11-6 with a 2.60 ERA in 27 starts for West Michigan of the Class A Midwest League. The southpaw struck out 123 in 166 innings while leading the Whitecaps to the second round of the playoffs.
Following is a complete list of Bucknellians who have played major league baseball.
Name Pos Debut Years Harold McClure OF 1882 1 William H. Rhines P 1890 9 Harvey Smith 3B 1896 1 Christy Mathewson P 1900 17 James D. Sebring OF 1902 5 Moose McCormick OF 1904 5 Mickey Doolan SS 1905 13 Henry Mathewson P 1906 2 Walter Blair C 1907 7 Robert G. Vail P 1908 1 Bert Daniels OF 1910 5 William Parson P 1910 2 Jim Clark OF 1911 2 John W. Wyckoff P 1913 6 Sandi Piez OF 1914 3 Howard R. Kauffman 1B 1914 2 Dean Sturgis C 1914 1 Jake Northrup P 1918 2 Joseph J. Buzas SS 1945 1 Thomas H. Upton SS 1950 3 Robert C. Keegan P 1953 6 Eric Junge P 2002
