4 games of MLB playoffs today. I have a new story coming shortly.

Today’s story is an American one. I’ve been asked this question a lot, what was your 1st day in the Major Leagues like. It was my dream to play Major League Baseball when I was in little league. That was my plan, and I took it one year at a time. Always to play the next year at

the next level. Fortunately for me I did this, I made my high school teams, went on to college. Playing in Alaska and making the US Olympic team really propelled my chances, leading me to be a 1st round draft choice of the Houston Astros, which made me a big prospect. I was going

to get every chance to make it with them. My 1st spring training was Major League camp at 21 years old alongside Nolan Ryan, Mike Scott, Bob Knepper, and Joe Niekro to name a few pitchers. 1st year of pro ball I skipped Rookie Ball and the 3 levels of A Ball, went right to AA.

Finished 2nd for wins and the ERA title, 14-8 record 2.96 ERA. The next year: Major League camp, then to AAA, and then TRADED! By the end of that season I would have been called up in September, I finished 2nd in the league for the ERA title 3.37 in the Pacific Coast League. Now

I was a Milwaukee Brewer, even though I was part of a Major League trade during a pennant drive, I was now just another minor league player in the Brewers farm system. After pitching very well during the 1986 & 87 seasons in AAA the Brewers didn’t call me up. I was very

disappointed. Then I was sent to start the 1888 season again in AAA, I began to wonder if I would be able to fulfill my dream, everything had been going according to plan, but now I wasn’t so sure. I was told to be ready, that I was going to be the 1st pitcher called up. I began

the season pitching very well. After my first 10 starts I was 4-1 and I was leading the league in strikeouts. I could have been 10-0. My one loss I pitched a complete game with no earned runs, but we got shutout. My 5 no-decisions I left every game deep into the games with leads

The relief pitchers blew 2 games with 4 run leads in the 9th inning, a 3 run lead in the 9th, a 2 run lead, and a 1 run lead. My manager Duffy Dyer kept telling me I was pitching great and to keep it up. In the end of May I saw that a Brewer pitcher was going to miss his start, I

thought I would be getting a call, but they instead started the long relief pitcher Odell Jones. In Denver I watched that game, Odell took a no-hitter into the 9th inning, I figured the Brewers would just stick with him. Two days later Duffy called me into his office. He told me

the words I had been dreaming about my whole life, he said I was called up to the Major Leagues. I was leaving the next morning to fly to join the team in Milwaukee. It’s like you almost can’t believe it, it’s extreme happiness. I forgave all the prior non call ups, it had been

such a battle. I had to pack as much as I could bring, I only had time to call my mom and dad. On June 2,1988 I flew to Milwaukee. The Brewers had someone there to pick me up and drive to County Stadium. When I went to pick up my suitcases two of them didn’t make it, but my base

ball bag did. The guy told me we will worry about it later. As we approached County Stadium from the freeway it was awesome to see, it was a feeling I remembered having when I was a kid going to see a game at Dodger Stadium and Anaheim Stadium how awesome they looked. I entered

the stadium and was taken to the clubhouse and I saw my locker with my Major League Jersey, #38, hanging up in it. My manager Tom Trebelhorn and pitching coach Chuck Hartenstein both came up to me and congratulated me, they told me that I was called up to be a starting pitcher,

and that I was starting 4 days later in Seattle, but tonight I was going to be in the bullpen. At this time some of the players were arriving, when they saw me they came by to give me a pat on the back, welcoming me to the big leagues. Then I saw Mark Knudson, the other player I

was traded to the Brewers from the Astros. He wanted to show me around the clubhouse and how to get to the tunnel to get to the dugout and field. As we were walking down the tunnel I said to Knudson, “Please don’t let me do anything stupid.” I just didn’t want to make any rookie

mistakes. Then I went out onto the field and looked into the empty seats of the stadium when it hit me that I was now a Major League player. The game that night was against the California Angels, it was going to be televised back home to where my family and friends could watch,

but all of my friends didn’t know I was called up. It was a great feeling shagging BP on the field , too surreal. I was checking out Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Jim Gantner, Greg Brock, all getting ready to play aMajir League game. When the game started I was out in the bullpen

with Chuck Crim, Mark Clear, Mark Knudson, Paul Mirabella, and Dan Plesac. I wasn’t expecting to get in at all, I was just sitting there taking it all in. Odell Jones was the starting pitcher and he picked up where he left off last game throwing 4 shutout innings. Then he ran

into trouble quickly in the 5th inning, and soon Mirabella was called into the game. The phone rang and bullpen coach Larry Haney answered it, he then told me that I had the next inning. I instantly got up and was warming up. Before I went in Larry told me to go out and pitch

just like I had been doing in Denver. It was a long jog from the bullpen to the pitchers mound. It was the top of the 6th and we were losing 4-3. My catcher was BJ Surhoff, just like on my Olympic team. My 1st Major League batter was Bob Boone, I got him to ground out to Molitor

at 3rd base. I then got Dick Schoefield to ground out to short, and then Chico Walker to ground out to 2nd. My 1st big league inning was 3 up and 3 down. My next inning I walked Wally Joyner, an old teammate from Alaska, but then got Johnnie Ray and Brian Downing to fly out and

Chili Davis to ground out. In the bottom of the 7th we scored 4 runs to take a 7-4 lead, Trebelhorn then put our all-star closer Dan Plesac in for a 2 inning save. We ended up winning the game 9-4. I got the win on my 1st day in the Major Leagues. After the game I looked up at

the scoreboard that said Don August 1-0. Then I went up to the clubhouse where all the reporters wanted to interview me by my locker, where I saw my missing suitcases. After the interview I sat down and enjoyed a big league meal. After I left the stadium a bunch of the guys took

me out to celebrate. The next day I called home, my mom told me everyone saw me pitch on the TV where they weren’t expecting to see me. They said they just turned on the Angel game on TV, then when they saw me that’s how they knew I was called up. It was a great day.