Ty Langenberg shine in what could have been his final pitching appearance at “home”

CEDAR RAPIDS - You better believe Ty Langenberg will take this if it was indeed his final appearance this baseball season at home. His final appearance ever at home.

“Home” having a double meaning here, of course.

The starting pitcher continued his strong second half, giving up just three hits and a run over six innings to get the ‘W’ as his Cedar Rapids Kernels beat Beloit, 2-1, Sunday afternoon in the regular-season finale at Veterans Memorial Stadium. There’s home that way.

There’s also home in the sense that Langenberg has spent the last season and a half just 120 miles or so from his hometown of Urbandale and 20 miles from the University of Iowa, where he pitched before the Minnesota Twins drafted him. Guys in pro ball don’t get opportunities like this very often.

“It has been incredible,” Langenberg said. “I had 35 to 40 people here today. Coming off the field and knowing I have a lot of friends and family cheering me on means a lot. Obviously being from just two hours down the road is huge. It allows them to come over, show up and show out. Means a lot being here for a year and a half. But you know, at the same time, you feel like you’ve just got to flat line it.”

Langenberg’s mom, Kathy, threw out a ceremonial first pitch Sunday, which added yet another layer of specialness. He had no idea she was doing it until he heard a commotion from his cheering section while warming up pregame in the Kernels bullpen.

“I was like ‘What are they cheering for?’” he said. “I look over, and my mom is walking onto the field (gesturing to everyone). I gave her a little crap for that. Would have been nice to see her throw a strike. Low and away.”

The 23-year-old righty really made something of his second full professional season after a rough April and even rougher May. He pitched to a 2.84 earned run average in June and 3.58 ERA in July.

Langenberg has been nails this month, starting four games and compiling a 1.37 earned run average. He notched his first career complete-game shutout (seven innings) and allowed just 16 hits in 26 1/3 innings.

His season ledger of a 5-5 record and 4.13 ERA in 21 appearances, 20 starts, doesn’t necessarily wow you, but considering where things stood the first two months, this is a great rebound.

“For me, I think it’s obviously huge to finish strong like this, just for myself to prove that I can still compete at a high level and have success here,” Langenberg said. “Having a rocky road early on was just about finding command. My walk rate was through the roof, I was not striking out guys. We were kind of able to reign in the walk rate, which was nice.

“And I think just becoming more of a blender. I think early on I was just a very readable pitcher in a way. Predictable, I guess you’d say. Now being able to mix all five, six pitches in my arsenal has really contributed to the success I’ve had recently and a big part of the finish I’m having to the year.”

Langenberg still could pitch, including at home, in the upcoming Midwest League playoffs. Those begin in a week and a half and a rotation hasn’t necessarily been cemented for the Kernels.

He’ll presumably begin next season at Double-A.

The Kernels (69-57 overall, 29-31 second half) split the six-game series with a Beloit club it very well could face in the playoffs. They bunched four hits, including RBI ones from Poncho Ruiz and Jefferson Valladares, in the second inning for their runs.

Cedar Rapids plays six games this week at Quad Cities, beginning Tuesday night, in the final regular-season series. C.R. will play on the road in Game 1 of the best-of-three Western Division finals Tuesday, Sept. 10, then return home for Game 2 that Thursday and an if-necessary Game 3 the following night.

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