- Los Angeles Angels minor-league pitcher Najer Victor had a dramatic outing for Great Britain against Team USA.
- Victor struck out several star players, including Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, and Gunnar Henderson.
- An emotional outburst from Victor after a strikeout was credited with firing up Team USA, who went on to win.
HOUSTON — Los Angeles Angels minor-league pitcher Najer Victor couldn’t sleep.
Really, he didn’t want to sleep.
His phone kept buzzing all night Saturday after his dramatic outing for Great Britain against the United States.
“What was it like to strike out three-time MVP Aaron Judge on that 85-mph cutter?‘
“How did it feel blowing that 96-mph fastball past MVP Bryce Harper?‘
‘How cool was it throwing that 82-mph slider past Baltimore Orioles young star Gunnar Henderson?‘
‘Can you believe that you didn’t throw a single fastball to Boston Red Sox slugger Roman Anthony, and got him to swing through a 84-mph slider?‘
And, oh, yeah: ‘What in the world did you say to make Team USA so angry?’
Mark DeRosa, manager of Team USA, said after their victory against Great Britain that Victor’s outburst and antics fired up their team entering the fifth inning, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 9-1 victory.
USA players say they couldn’t quite make out what Victor said, but were well aware that he yelled toward their bench strutting off the mound after striking out Henderson, and gesturing with his hands.
‘When their reliever turned and looked in our dugout and had a couple of choice words,’ DeRosa said, ‘I think that lit the lineup up.’
Victor, 24, who spent most of his childhood growing up in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands before moving back to Philadelphia, called his four-strikeout outing easily the greatest moment of his life.
And he called the verbal outburst one of his worst moments of his career, saying that he yelled, ‘You got to get louder than that!’
‘I don’t know why I did that,’ he told USA TODAY Sports. ‘It was kind of a blackout moment. I didn’t mean to look at their dugout. It was for the crowd. They were all yelling, U-S-A, and that noise wasn’t fazing me. So, I was trying to get to the crowd, and I ended up turning to the dugout and it was like, ‘Aaargh.’
‘I mean, that got them fired up. That’s what the game is, showing emotions. But if I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t do that. I mean, I was not trying to show up any of the guys. I hope they know that.
‘I was just trying to talk to the crowd, not to them.’
While Victor prays his outburst will be soon forgotten, he hopes the memory of his dazzling outing will be remembered forever.
‘That was the No. 1 moment in my career, no question,’ said Victor, who spent last year pitching 35 games in Class A for the Angels, going 1-6 with a 4.87 ERA, striking out 65 and walking 26 batters in 40⅔ innings. ‘I live in the moment, but it felt pretty sick when I thought about it afterwards.’
So, of the four strikeouts against the star-studded lineup, just who was his favorite strikeout victim?
‘I grew up a Red Sox fan,’ Victor said, ‘so the Roman Anthony once for me. But I do like that 3-and-2 slider to Gunnar Henderson. And, of course, Aaron Judge.’
When Victor returns to Angels’ camp in Tempe, Ariz., this week, he’ll certainly have some stories to tell the boys in the clubhouse.
He also learned some valuable lessons from the WBC experience.
‘This is a moment that will wake you up,’ Victor said, ‘but it’s also a moment you just can’t live off. So for me, it’s not my end goal, and I don’t see myself stopping right there.
‘Hopefully making a name not only for myself, but for an island of 32 square miles. It’s not just for my island, but also other small islands.’
And, who knows, maybe one day he’ll see those same stars again from Team USA, and let them know his outburst wasn’t personal, and certainly not directed toward them.
‘Please, let them know,’ Victor said, ‘that’s not me.’
Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale