Nuri Gutman’s return inspires Latin Academy baseball to end English’s three-year Boston City League run

Nuri Gutman called his shot.

Before the start of the Boston City League baseball championship at Boston College’s Harrington Athletics Village, Latin Academy’s Bowdoin-bound lefthanded senior ace made a promise to his teammates.

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“Before I went out, I said ‘You guys, if you get me a two-run lead, this game is over,’ ” said Gutman.

In the top of the first inning, with Gutman, ironically, in the leadoff position, that’s precisely what the Dragons did.

After English starter Luis Mejia (6 innings, 6 hits, 2 earned runs, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts) walked Gutman, senior Nathan Bonilla doubled, sending Gutman to third.

Gutman then scored on a passed ball, and senior Jack Norton doubled to plate Bonilla and hand Latin a 2-0 lead.

“It just gave me all the confidence in the world,” Gutman said.

Just as he had vowed, Gutman proceeded to twirl a two-hit complete game with eight strikeouts to lift the Dragons to a 3-2 win, capturing their first City title since 2017, and dethroning the Eagles (14-6) — the three-time reigning champions — in thrilling fashion.

“He’s just outstanding the way he attacks the zone,” Latin coach Justin Curley said. “He’s been shut down for a little bit, so seeing him pitch a complete game like that against this lineup, it was awesome to see.”

After consecutive shutouts over Canton and Boston Latin and a third, lights-out start against Charlestown, in which he surrendered only one run, Gutman was taken out of the rotation due to discomfort in his elbow.

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Getting him back on the bump Saturday, with a title on the line, was paramount for the Dragons (11-8), and he proved that with a poise.

“I mean, we know he’s our guy,” Curley said. “He’s our ace, and we kind of live and die by that.”

The score remained deadlocked at 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth, when English’s Leosmani Cumba scored from second on a throwing error.

In the top of the seventh, after Jaurel Melo relieved Mejia, Gutman drew a leadoff walk, and Bonilla advanced him to third with a sacrifice bunt, and he later scored on a throwing error.

“When English got one back, we knew we weren’t comfortable with one run, and we said a walk’s as good as a hit,” Curley said. “[Gutman] had the leadoff walk, and that was just huge. Seeing him help himself out was awesome.”

The Eagles closed the gap to one run in the bottom of the frame with a Melo triple and an RBI single to right from Ismel Villar, but Gutman closed the door with an emphatic strikeout to secure the 3-2 triumph.

“[This is] for the nine years of people, everyone who has touched this team and walked off the field with the second-place medal,” Gutman said. “It feels incredible.”

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