The day is Tuesday, August 5, 2008. The Baltimore Orioles head into Angels stadium having lost a heartbreaker in the bottom of the 9th the night before. A thunderous crowd of Angels fans have gathered at Angels Stadium to watch their MLB-best Angels take on the Orioles. Taking the mound for the Angels is right-handed Starting Pitcher Jon Garland, who in his career is 7-2 against the Orioles.
Taking the mound for the O's?
28 year old minor leaguer Chris Waters. (left)
Waters had started 179 Minor League games and had been trapped in the minors for eight years. To make the odds worse for the O's, Waters had a 3-6 record with a 5.70 ERA at their AAA Affiliate, Norfolk. To make matters worse, this is his first major league start! What unfolded, was shocking.
The Orioles jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. Angel fans were not worried, Chris Waters had an ERA of almost 6.00 at AAA! 2 runs should be a non-factor. However, Waters took the mound and pitched the best game of his life. After 8 innings, Chris Waters pitched 8 innings, allowed 1 hit, no runs, and struck out three batters and held the Angels, the best team in baseball, to an .042 batting average against!
Chris Waters is now a member of the Orioles rotation, replacing flamethrower Radhames Liz, who was recently demoted to AAA Norfolk.
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