A Star is Born: On Hoss Collins's No-Hitter

By KYLE KEOUGH
Double Day AP

Some pitchers wait their entire careers to be certified as true stars.

For Hoss Collins, it took nine innings.

Oakland Oaks SP Hoss Collins went from tantalizing tease to the tantamount turnaround story of season three with a performance that'll be re-aired on local California television stations for the next twenty years, a once-in-a-generation-type pitching display that any Oaks starter will be hard-pressed to duplicate for some time.

The Oakland Oaks toppled the Durham Tobacconists--headed by Most Valuable Player finalists Dan Hudler and Keith Lee, the latter of whom sat out--2-0, and it was Collins who outlasted and outdueled fellow top young gun Miguel Alou (12-8, 3.80 ERA) for the emphatic victory.

Collins, who stands at 10-8 on the season with a 3.31 ERA despite splitting time with Albuquerque, Montreal, and now Oakland, is just now beginning to realize the immense talent that earned him early entry into the majors. His first season proved him to be human like all the rest: 12 wins, accompanied by a 5+ ERA. In the early going of the season, his ERA hovered well over 5 with the Dukes, and he went 2-5 when stationed in Montreal. Whether braving intense humidity or frigid winters, Collins' performances remained lukewarm.

Now enjoying the friendlier weather of the more temperate National League--which allows for, among other things, the ability to make-foolish one's opposing pitcher once every nine at-bats--Collins has settled in with the Oaks, and his prominance as a young starter with superior talent is growing more and more evident. The game against Durham was perhaps the zenith of the UK-born prodigy's career: up against the ML's best team, he threw 117 pitches, connected on 11 strikeouts, and didn't allow a baserunner to reach second until the bottom of the ninth. Simply put, Collins' performance will go down in the annals of Double Day lore.

From now until the end of his career, when historians and fans alike point towards the moment in which Hoss Collins went from whiz kid to star, these nine innings will count the most.