George Wolkow has recorded 75 hits for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers this season, most of them unseen by anyone outside North Carolina or those closely following the White Sox minor league system. But that all changed on Tuesday when the White Sox No. 11 prospect went viral for an unconventional swing that earned him a spot on SportsCenter’s Top Ten plays.
Wolkow tried to call a timeout before the first pitch of his first at-bat against the Braves’ No. 29 prospect, Ethan Bagwell, after Bagwell hesitated in his delivery. Stepping out of the box and lifting his right hand off the bat, Wolkow signaled for time — but the request wasn’t granted. As the first-base umpire called a balk on Bagwell, the pitcher still fired a pitch home, giving Wolkow a free swing.
The 19-year-old reached out with a one-handed swing, sending a grounder toward first base and catching Augusta’s defense off guard. By the time the first baseman reacted, Wolkow had reached safely, while Kannapolis leadoff man Jordan Sprinkle, who was already attempting to steal third on the pitch, came all the way around to score.
One night later, Winston-Salem Dash right-hander Phil Fox fired nine straight strikes against the Asheville Tourists to lock down a 4-2 victory with an immaculate inning. What was most impressive about Fox’s immaculate innings was that he did it with seven swinging strikes, which included six in a row to open the frame.
The 22-year-old right-hander picked up his eighth save of the season and lowered his ERA to 3.38 in the process.
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