July 28, 2012
Before joining the Blue Jays organization, Kadish attended Marshall University where in his 25 games as a senior, he pitched 30.2 innings in relief, with a 1-4 record, 4.99 ERA, with 28 strikeouts
Friday night was Salute to the Armed Forces night at Cooley Law School Stadium in Lansing, Michigan which featured many pre-game festivities allowing fans to show their support of the troops from past and present. The troops and veterans in attendance got to see a treat as Justin Nicolino, Tyler Ybarra, and Ajay Meyer combined to pitch a six-hit 4-0 shutout over the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Nicolino pitched six innings, allowing four hits to go with his four strikeouts and one walk. Ybarra came in to pitch the 7th and 8th innings, allowing two hits to go with two strikeouts and three walks. Ajay Meyer came into the 9th inning and slammed the door with a 1-2-3 9th. Kenny Wilson was the big star at the plate going 3-for-3 as well as scoring three runs and stealing a base on the night.
After the game I had the opportunity to talk with the newest member of the Lugnuts, pitcher Ian Kadish, who signed with the Blue Jays as an undrafted free agent in 2011 out of Marshall University. “My time at Marshall had a lot of ups and downs” explained Kadish, “I didn’t know what to expect after Marshall as I didn’t hear from a lot of teams, but I was really excited when the Blue Jays wanted to sign me so I could continue my baseball career.”
Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio one would think Ian grew up a Reds fan, but in fact, it was not the case. “My Dad is from Boston so I actually grew up routing for the Red Sox.” Kadish explained and added that Pedro Martinez was his favorite player growing up. While he would later play the same position as Martinez, Kadish also mentioned that he also played some fielding positions as well. “When I was younger, I was mainly a pitcher, but still played a little infield when given the opportunity,” said Kadish.
Until his promotion to the Lugnuts, Ian Kadish (L) and Arik Sikula (R) had played together for five consecutive years. Pictured above are both pitchers in their Vancouver Canadians’ gear. (photo credit: canada.com)
Kadish’s professional career began with the Bluefield Blue Jays last season where he posted a 2-3 record with a 2.67 ERA to go with seven saves and 55 strikeouts. “My time in Bluefield was great! It was my first taste of professional baseball and Dennis Holmberg was a great manager to play for.” The Cincinnati native further added that in addition to great management, part of his success thus far can be attributed to his repertoire: “I currently have a fastball, slider, and a curve.”
His 2012 season started with the Vancouver Canadians for Kadish where he posted a 1-1 record with a 1.59 ERA with 36 strikeouts and five saves before being moved up to the Lansing Lugnuts on July 26th. “Vancouver is a great place to play. It is a fun city with great fans.” Kadish stated, adding,, “I really like Lansing and even though I haven’t pitched in Lansing yet I have noticed the competition level looks higher with less room for mistakes in Lansing than Vancouver.”
As far as a goal for the rest of the season, Ian has a great one, “I want to help Lansing win the Midwest League Championship and earn a ring!”