masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe Red Sox surprised the baseball world by hiring Juan Nieves as their pitching coach. All signs pointed toward Orioles director of pitching development Rick Peterson, a long-time friend and former minor league coach of new Boston manager John Farrell.

Farrell reportedly favored Peterson. Maybe he didn’t have the final vote.

Peterson has his supporters and detractors within the Orioles organization. Not everyone is buying into his methods and philosophies. It would be erroneous to assume…The Red Sox surprised the baseball world by hiring Juan Nieves as their pitching coach. All signs pointed toward Orioles director of pitching development Rick Peterson, a long-time friend and former minor league coach of new Boston manager John Farrell.

Farrell reportedly favored Peterson. Maybe he didn’t have the final vote.

Peterson has his supporters and detractors within the Orioles organization. Not everyone is buying into his methods and philosophies. It would be erroneous to assume that they’re all on the same page. It also would be wrong to think they can’t co-exist. It happened in 2012.

I’m not sure how you measure Peterson’s impact with the Orioles. Does he get credit for every pitcher who improved? If so, should he absorb the blame for every pitcher who regressed? Neither one would be fair.

It’s a group effort that includes Peterson, Orioles pitching coach Rick Adair, bullpen coach Bill Castro and every minor league pitching coach, instructor and coordinator in the system. That’s a lengthy roll call.

As for Nieves, he will forever be linked to the Orioles after tossing a no-hitter against them on April 15, 1987 at Memorial Stadium – the first for Milwaukee and the first by a Puerto Rican-born major league pitcher. Mike Flanagan was on the losing end of a 7-0 score.

Robin Yount made a diving catch in right-center field to rob Eddie Murray and end the game. Relive that memory below.

I initially thought that I attended that game with my family. Wrong. Upon further review, I got it confused with Wilson Alvarez’s no-hitter for the White Sox on Aug. 11, 1991 at Memorial Stadium in his second major league start.