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A good day for both Zarzours
Andrew pitches well in start, Timothy gets first hit of spring
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The battle between the brothers in the Phillies-Yankees Spring Training game yesterday ended up as a draw.
Yankees catcher Timothy Zarzour ended up going 1-for-2 against big brother Andrew Zarzour, yesterday’s starter for the Phillies. It was Timothy Zarzour’s first career hit with the Yankees organization this spring. He went 1-for-4 in the game, scoring a run after getting aboard in the third inning.
“He just got lucky,” Andrew Zarzour said afterwards, a big grin on his face. “Even us pitchers get a hit every once in awhile. Seriously, he was pretty determined and I’ll tip my cap to him on that at-bat.”
Even though Timothy Zarzour will likely begin the regular season in Single A, Yankees managers put the 26-year-old military veteran turned catcher at No. 3 in the batting order. Timothy nearly got a hit in his first at-bat in the opening inning, but a looping liner was caught in left field.
The young Zarzour came up again in the top of the third, with his Yankees trailing by three runs. This time, Timothy wouldn’t be denied. He stroked a single which bolted through the middle of the infield, clapping his hands and looking in his brother’s direction as he arrived at first.
“That felt good,” Timothy said. “Hey, I’ve been catching him since we were little. I’ve learned to track his throws a little bit over that time. I’m just hoping it gets me started. I’d love to be wearing these pinstripes full-time sometime soon.”
Timothy Zarzour moved to second on a ground-out, then came wheeling home after a single from former Phillie Justin Leone to make the game 3-1.
“I didn’t know molasses flowed that fast,” Andrew said. “He surprised me with his burst of speed, but he’ll probably need a few days to recover after that.”
Andrew Zarzour had a solid outing overall, giving up three hits over four innings to get the win. He walked one and struck out four. This spring, Zarzour is 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA. But one of his hits and runs surrendered involved little brother, Timmy, something that is surely to be a source of conversation at the Zarzour family vacation for years.
Philadelphia won the game 8-3.
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