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Broderick flirts with perfection

Cards prospect pitches two-hitter for first career shutout
June 5, 2010
Brian Broderick has made two Texas League starts with very different results.

Although he won his debut with Double-A Springfield, he gave up five runs -- four earned -- on 10 hits over five innings. His second outing was a different story.

The 23-year-old right-hander retired the first 19 batters and tossed a two-hitter for his first career complete game Friday as the Cardinals rolled to a 9-0 rout of the Corpus Christi Hooks.

"Just getting ahead of guys [was the key]," Broderick said. "I was on [the same] page with my catcher, never shook him off once. That helps keep the pace up, and the defense was making plays."

The 2007 21st-round Draft pick had a perfect game through six innings and acknowledged the thought of accomplishing something special seeped into his mind.

"I started to think about it in the sixth after going through the bottom of the lineup," Broderick admitted.

He retired the leadoff batter in the seventh, but German Duran lined a 2-2 breaking ball into left field for a single.

"I hung a pitch and the guy hit it," said Broderick, who throws a two-seam fastball, four-seam fastball, breaking ball and changeup. "I really wasn't disappointed. I didn't think about it at that time. I was just thinking about getting out of the inning."

Broderick got the next batter to pop out to first bases, then struck out the dangerous Koby Clemens to end the inning.

"I really couldn't be mad," the Phoenix native said. "I left the pitch up. The guy hit it, tip my cap to him. Nothing I could do about it, just go back out and pitch the last two innings."

Broderick retired the side in order in the eighth and worked around a single by Jimmy Van Ostrand in the ninth. He threw 70 of 97 pitches for strikes.

As far as being intimidated by the Double-A competition, Broderick is taking a veteran's approach.

"Just gotta make your pitches," he said. "If you make your pitches [at any level], you're gonna succeed."

The Grand Canyon University product of began the season with Class A Advanced Palm Beach in the Florida State League, where he was 3-5 with a 5.47 ERA in nine starts. Broderick split last year between the same clubs, combining to go 9-12 with a 4.88 ERA in 28 games.

Dan Tomasino is a contributor to MLB.com.