I had a grand total of 1 official plate appearance as a High School Varsity baseball player. With 2 outs in the top of the 7th of a blowout loss to Mt. St. Joseph in West Baltimore, my turn in the order came up (I had come into the game the previous inning to pitch in relief in a game in which we, for once, weren't using the DH). I took a called strike. Whiffed on a high fastball for strike two. Then, the memory is still a little tough to recall, took an 0-2 curveball right on the head.
The pitcher who plunked me? Current Chicago White Sox hurler Gavin Floyd.
A little more than a month after his errant curve clonked be on the noggin, Floyd was selected 4th in the nation by the Phillies in the 2001 Amateur draft. He raced up through the minors but has had a number of bad/less than stellar stints in the bigs since his initial callup in 2004. The Phillies shipped him to Chicago after the 2006 season.
Maybe this is the year that Gavin Floyd starts to provide me with more chances to tell that story. He had a no-hitter going for 7 1/3 innings against the struggling Tigers. He's 2-0 on the young season. Best of luck and hats off to you Gavin. You'll please excuse me, however, if I leave my helmet on.
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