Randy Williams was getting hammered in his major league debut Saturday night when Mariners pitching coach Bryan Price went to the mound to settle his rookie.
Halfway there, Price broke into a grin.
“He smiled first,” said Price, admitting he couldn’t keep a straight face. “He told me he was OK, that was all I needed to know.”
Considering what Williams has experienced to reach the major leagues, a rough inning in his debut wasn’t going to shake him. Three years ago, he thought his baseball days were finished.
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Opponent: Anaheim Angels When: 7:05 p.m. today, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Where: Safeco Field.
TV: Fox Sports Net today, Wednesday and Thursday, KSTW (channel 11) Tuesday. Radio: KOMO (1000 AM) all four games.
Pitchers: Today – Seattle right-hander Cha Seung Baek (1-2, 7.59 earned run average) vs. right-hander Kelvim Escobar (9-10, 3.97). Tuesday – Left-hander Bobby Madritsch (4-2, 3.15) vs. left-hander Jarrod Washburn (11-6, 4.84). Wednesday – Right-hander Ryan Franklin (3-15, 5.30) vs. right-hander John Lackey (12-11, 4.83). Thursday – Left-hander Jamie Moyer (6-11, 5.09) vs. pitcher to be determined. |
Williams, a 12th-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 1997 draft, missed all of the ‘97 season and most of ‘98 after shoulder surgery, then needed Tommy John elbow surgery that wiped out his 2000 and 2001 seasons.
He went to spring training with the independent Edinburg Roadrunners in 2002, but had little hope.
“I was really expecting not to make it through spring training of independent ball after not playing for two years,” said Williams, who will be 30 on Saturday. “For two years, I basically was in construction work and was starting to really contemplate what else I would do. But I went to spring training and things started going better and I changed my mind.”
Williams went 5-2 with 10 saves and a 1.20 ERA in 42 games with Edinburg, where he caught the eye of Mariners scout Charley Kerfeld. The M’s, in dire need of left-handed pitching in the organization, signed him after that season.
He went 4-1, 1.73 in 29 games at Class AA San Antonio, then 2-2, 5.26 in 19 games at Class AAA Tacoma. This year, he pitched in a variety of bullpen roles at Tacoma, where he was 7-2, 3.63.
Saturday, on his first day in the majors, Williams didn’t suppress his joy, but he also kept it all in perspective.
“It’s an amazing accomplishment considering all the nay-sayers over the years, from the Cubs to the doctors and even friends who said that maybe I should choose another profession,” he said. “This is a great feeling of accomplishment.”
Rising on the hit charts: With two hits Sunday, Ichiro Suzuki moved into 30th place on baseball’s all-time single-season list and brought back into focus a name that’s especially familiar in Snohomish County.
Suzuki needs one hit to tie the late Earl Averill of Snohomish, who had 232 hits for the Cleveland Indians in 1936, and Nip Lajoi of the Philadelphia Athletics (232 hits in 1091).
Suzuki is chasing the major league record of 257 hits in a season, set in 1920 by George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns.
Suzuki had gone hitless in his previous eight at-bats before he beat out a dribbler to shortstop in the first inning Sunday. He also lined a single to center field in the eighth, finishing 2-for-4 and raising his average one point to .374.
Franklin to return: Pitcher Ryan Franklin, who left the team immediately after he pitched in Friday’s game to attend the funeral of his grandmother, is expected back today and will make his start Wednesday against the Angels, manager Bob Melvin said.
Kirby Arnold, Herald Writer
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