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We all saw an exemplary Carson Fulmer start last night. The Florida Flamethrower went 7 and 2/3 IP of shutout ball, allowing only 2 hits, 2 walks, and hitting two batters in 118 pitches of intense effort. Every single one of those pitches was needed, as UVA sophomore RHP Connor Jones matched him on the scoreboard until Vandy broke through with a two run double by Will "Youth Hockey" Toffey. Fulmer kept his fastball at 95mph until the top of the 8th, exhibiting darting movement and impressive control - mainly impressive because the strike zone kept moving, but I digress - of all pitches, especially his spike curve which accounted for the bulk of his 8 Ks.
In short, he was sick out there. Literally.
According to D1baseball.com writer Aaron Fitt:
Fulmer told the Vandy trainer he was sick this morning, but told her not to tell anyone. Awesome.
— Aaron Fitt (@aaronfitt) June 23, 2015
Fellow D1baseball.com writer Shotgun "Baseball Writer Name" Spratling confirmed this, adding:
Sick enough that roommate/best friend Dansby Swanson had to pack his stuff up and sleep elsewhere. https://t.co/UC9ndOuSBY
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSprD1) June 23, 2015
MLB.com's Jim Callis asked the man, himself, who clarified:
"I had a fever late last night," Fulmer said. "I went to bed with the chills and put on a big jacket so I could sweat it out at night. When I woke up, I still didn't feel great but I definitely kept my mouth shut because I wanted to pitch. There was no way I wasn't going to pitch."
...
"I felt great once the adrenaline set in," Fulmer said. "It runs through your body and it kind of heals it up. Nothing was going to stop me from getting through this game. This is the reason I came to school."
...
Swanson is one of Fulmer's roommates, and he said he got the pitcher some medication the previous night before finding somewhere else to sleep so he wouldn't become sick. Though Fulmer was ill, Swanson had no doubt he would come up huge.
"I expected nothing else today," Swanson said. "What he did not only shot his legacy through the roof, but his performance sets us up well for tomorrow."
So there you have it. Just another ho-hum superhuman effort from the man Vanderbilt's Biomedical Engineering Department has been secretly trying to clone all year Carson Fulmer. Did you expect any less?