Brendan More has long believed he was capable of being a good varsity pitcher, but for the majority of his high school career, that potential hadn’t translated into success on the mound.
“I feel it was a little bit hard to keep that confidence up because obviously I knew what I was capable of, but when I went onto the mound, the control wasn’t always there and I wasn’t performing the way I think I should have been performing,” said More, Kearny’s junior left-hander. “But I just had to keep my head up and keep going.”
Not only has More started to pitch up to his potential, on Wednesday, he pitched one of the most dominant games in recent Kearny memory.
More not only threw a no-hitter, he struck out an incredible 19 batters in the Kardinals’ 11-0 victory over Dickinson. The 19 strikeouts are by far the most by a Kearny pitcher since the NJSIAA instituted pitch count restrictions 15 years ago. For good measure, More also went 2-for-3 with a walk, hit by pitch, run, RBI and two stolen bases.
More’s dominant work on the mound makes him The Observer Athlete of the Week.
For the season, More has an eye-popping 39 strikeouts in 19 innings. Less than three weeks before his no-hitter, More offered a glimpse of his potential when he struck out 13 in a 6-4 victory over Weehawken.
“He was the guy we were waiting for. We knew we had Julian (Butler) and we really were looking for that other guy to come up and compete,” head coach David Smart said. “(Brendan) was that guy that we were hoping could put it all together and he did.”
“Honestly, the biggest difference has been my confidence,” said More, who also grew three inches and gained more than 30 pounds after his sophomore season. “In the beginning of the season, I was a little nervous with how I was going to go trying to prove myself a little more, but I’ve just been going out there and throwing my game and not worrying about what anyone else thinks. It just kind of helped me be more confident on the mound.”
Until recently, More incredible strikeout ability – he had thrown 51 in 34.1 career innings – was largely negated by his 38 walks, leading to career ERA over 8.
Those control issues weren’t there on Wednesday, when he only issued three walks and displayed command of all four of his pitches – his fastball, changeup, curveball and slider.
“During warmups I felt good. My arm felt good and everything going into the game,” said More. “I thought I was going to have a solid game that day, but I didn’t realize it would be like that. I think it was the fourth or fifth inning that someone told me how many strikeouts I actually had and I was a little shocked when I heard it.”
“It wasn’t until later in the game when we realized, oh wow, wait a minute, he’s got a no hitter going,” Smart said. “And we just kept quiet, stayed away from him and let him do his thing.”
For More, who prefers not to talk to anyone during his starts, the silent treatment didn’t faze him. But More realized he had a no-hitter going, and admittedly felt nervous as he got to the later innings.
Even so, More wrapped up the historic outing by striking out the side in the seventh to complete Kearny’s second no-hitter of the season.
“I was very nervous the entire time and then I felt relieved and felt the stress just go away,” said More. “I smiled for the first time during the game (after the last out) because I was just very nervous the whole time.”
In recent weeks, More has turned that potential into two signature moments. Ones that have given him the confidence that wasn’t always there earlier in his varsity career.
“(The games against Weehawken and Dickinson) really boosted my confidence because it shows what I actually am capable of doing,” said More. “All the hard work actually does help and does pay off.”
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)