One year ago on this date, Eric Jokisch took the mound in Jacksonville, Florida, looking for some sort of traction after giving up 11 earned runs in his last 11 innings. What he found was a piece of Smokies history – a nine-inning no-hitter with four walks and eight strikeouts.
It was Jokisch’s first full year in Double-A after getting a promotion from Daytona in May of the previous campaign and making the most of the opportunity with a 7-2 record, a 2.91 ERA, and a 1.13 WHIP in 17 starts. The full season was still strong, but not as strong: Jokisch entered August 6 with an 8-10 record, 3.84 ERA, and a 1.38 WHIP. The no-no sparked a strong run to end the season for Jokisch, and he went 3-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in his final six starts. Most notably, his strikeout numbers soared after the no-hitter; Jokisch went from a 2.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 4.08 strikeouts per nine innings in his 21 starts before the no-no to a 3.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 6.74 strikeouts per nine innings in his final six starts.
As of this writing, Jokisch is 8-8 with a 3.58 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 22 starts for Triple-A Iowa. He threw a seven-inning three-hit shutout of New Orleans on July 31 and has not allowed an earned run in his last 15 innings.
Mick Gillispie told the story of that magic night on the St. Johns River during the sixth inning of Tenenssee’s game with the Mobile BayBears on Wednesday.
Andrew Green
James Rowe
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