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B-Jays trio falls one out short of no-no

Royals' Marquez breaks up bid with ninth-inning home run
Troy Watson was the first player drafted out of the University of Northern Colorado since 2015. (University of Northern Colorado)
June 24, 2018

One out away. Troy Watson, Cre Finfrock and Matt Harris took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, but Jose Marquez homered with two outs in Rookie-level Bluefield's 5-1 victory over Burlington on Sunday at Burlington Athletic Stadium. 

One out away. 
Troy Watson, Cre Finfrock and Matt Harris took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, but Jose Marquez homered with two outs in Rookie-level Bluefield's 5-1 victory over Burlington on Sunday at Burlington Athletic Stadium. 

Gameday box score
Watson, a 15th-round pick out of the University of Northern Colorado, started and tossed three flawless frames. He struck out the side in the third inning to bring his total to five before handing the ball to Finfrock (1-0). The 29th-round selection plunked two batters, but didn't give up any other baserunners for 2 2/3 innings. 
The Blue Jays' starter provided some words of wisdom to Finfrock as he was warming up. 
"I just went down in the 'pen and said, 'Establish your fastball and you'll do good,'" Watson said. "That's exactly what he did." 
Taken in the 33rd round out of Florida Atlantic University, Harris breezed through three innings until Marquez ambushed the first pitch of his at-bat and sent it over the left-field fence. Unfazed, he retired Angel Medina on a grounder to second to record his first professional save. 
"We were kind of in disbelief, because in the ninth inning, we got two outs on two pitches and third pitch was just hammered," Watson said. "But at the end of the day, all we really care about is the [win]." 
It would have been the Appalachian League's first no-hitter since three Danville Braves combined on a seven-inning gem last Aug. 8.
Nevertheless, it was an extra special day for Watson, who made his first professional start. He vividly remembered sitting at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Sherman, Texas with his father, Steven Watson, tracking the Draft board on his phone. His agent called to tell him Toronto was about to select the right-hander and his name subsequently popped up on his dad's phone. 
"My dad just yelled out, 'Troy Watson!' when he saw my name on the board," he said. "It was kind of a surreal moment because all the hard work finally paid off. ... It was really good to spend that moment with my dad." 
It proved to be a dream scenario in multiple ways for Watson. Although he calls Gunter, Texas home, he has been a fan of the Blue Jays because of his affinity for Toronto starting pitcher Marcus Stroman. 

"Even since this Draft thing was even considerable, I always wanted to be drafted by the Blue Jays," he said. "When it actually happened, it basically a dream come true." 
Watson put himself on the radar despite an injury plagued 2018 season as a red-shirt sophomore at Northern Colorado, compiling a 2.91 ERA over 34 innings. 
He sports a 2.25 ERA over four innings in the young Appalachian League season. Like many pitchers fresh from college, Watson is on an innings limit of three and a pitch count of 50 at the start. 
Dominic Abbadessa led the Jays' offense, going 3-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored while Davis Scheider doubled twice, drove in one run and scored another.

Josh Horton is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @joshhortonMiLB