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Romero has best outing of the year

Wave Staff Report 17.JUL.08

Ricky Romero has been on anything but a fast track to the big leagues since being the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft.

That’s why Sunday’s performance for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Toronto Blue Jays’ Double-A Eastern League farm club, has to be encouraging for the left-handed pitcher from East L.A.’s Roosevelt High School and Cal State Fullerton.

In his best start of the season, Romero took a one-hitter into the ninth inning to lead the Fisher Cats past the host Connecticut Defenders, 9-2, leveling his record at 5-5 in the process. After issuing five consecutive hits, he was lifted for Jared Goethert, who got the final outs to wrap up the win.

Romero struck out one and walked two in lowering his ERA to 5.61.

The strikeout total was key, as Romero told mlb.com’s Paige Schector.

“My main focus the past month has been working on my tempo,” he said. “I’ve kept my pitch count low and been able to get deeper into the games.”

While some members of the 2005 draft class have already made it to the majors, Romero remains at Double-A where he has gone 37-58 in parts of three seasons for New Hampshire.

He isn’t discouraged, however.

“Every start I try to take something from it,” Romero said. “It’s not an easy league. You face the best of the best prospects. It’s taking me a while to get to the bigs, but I feel like my time is going to come.”

After earning All-City honors as a senior at Roosevelt, Romero went on to become an All-American at Cal State Fullerton.