The goal of every Major League starting pitcher is earning the right to get the ball every fifth day.
This week, former Oregon all-American David Peterson will be able to say he's done just that with the New York Mets.
Five days after beating the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in his big-league debut, Peterson will make a second start for the Mets on Sunday. Peterson is scheduled to take the mound against the Atlanta Braves, in a game televised by TBS at 10:10 a.m. PT.
"It's a huge honor," Peterson said of earning the right to make another start. "It's definitely where I want to be. I don't want to have just one start and be gone; I want to have a very lengthy career in the big leagues and be a part of this team, and help this team win and get to the ultimate goal of the World Series."
Peterson became the fifth alumnus of the UO baseball program to make a Major League Baseball roster this summer. Unlike the other four, Peterson wasn't with the Mets on Opening Day, but the team selected his contract from their "alternate training site" prior to Tuesday's game in Boston.
That night, Peterson went out and threw 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks. He left the game with the Mets up 5-2, and they held on to win 8-3 and earn Peterson a victory in his MLB debut, during this strangest of seasons owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's obviously a different year all together — the 60-game season, no fans, everything we're having to go through to be as safe as possible and keep everyone healthy," said Peterson, a consensus all-American for the Ducks after going 11-4 with a 2.51 ERA as a junior in 2017. "It's not the way I had dreamt of it since I was 3 years old. But at the end of the day I made my Major League debut and we got a win at Fenway. I couldn't have asked for much more. It was one of the best days of my life."
Peterson, a native of Denver who was the 20th pick in the first round of the 2017 MLB draft, said his family considered coming out to Boston for the game, even though they couldn't attend. But since the Mets were scheduled to return home after the game, they didn't make the trip.
Had they been on hand, Peterson's family could have helped him process the range of emotions he said he experienced throughout the day Tuesday.
"The time I think I was the most nervous was from when I woke up until going to the stadium, just sitting around the hotel waiting," Peterson said. "Once I got to the stadium, it turned from nerves to just excitement. And once I started warming up, all that went away and it was time to go to work."
His teammates with the Mets provided some early help that allowed Peterson to settle into a rhythm. Boston's leadoff hitter, Jose Peraza, banged a pitch high off Fenway Park's "Green Monster" in left field, but Mets outfielder J.D. Davis fielded the call on the carom and threw out Peraza at second base.
During the next half-inning, New York put three runs on the board, sending Peterson back out to the mound with an early lead.
"The defense all night was awesome behind me," Peterson said. "And then the early run support was huge. It was one of the things that helped me settle in."
With that cushion provided by his teammates, Peterson was able to keep his cool through some trouble in the third inning. The Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs, bringing to the plate one of the American League's most fearsome power hitters, J.D. Martinez. Peterson had struck out Martinez in the first inning, and he did it again with the bases loaded in the third, falling behind 3-1 before retiring Martinez on a slider that started over the plate before darting in under the hands of Martinez.
The next hitter grounded into an unorthodox double play, on which a run scored. But the play also ended the inning, preserving a 3-1 lead for the Mets. After a 1-2-3 fourth inning, Peterson got another double play in the fifth to pitch around a walk and a hit, and he retired two in the sixth before being replaced after a two-out, run-scoring double.
When he got back to the clubhouse, Peterson's phone featured hundreds of notifications from well-wishers, via text and direct message.
"It was pretty awesome to see all the support that I have," he said. "Obviously some from my family and close friends, but also guys I went to high school with, guys that I played with along the line in travel ball and in showcases, and coaches. It was an amazing amount of support, and I'm very thankful for everyone who reached out."
On Sunday, Peterson will give all those well-wishers another chance to cheer him on, and hopefully to celebrate a second successful outing as a big leaguer.
"start" - Google News
August 02, 2020 at 04:08AM
https://ift.tt/3jXX19H
Peterson Earns Second MLB Start - GoDucks.com
"start" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2yVRai7
https://ift.tt/2WhNuz0
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Peterson Earns Second MLB Start - GoDucks.com"
Post a Comment