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Penn's big league debut in Baltimore May 30, 2005 I watched Hayden Penn’s Major League debut from the left center field seats in Camden Yards yesterday. Penn is the highly acclaimed Orioles pitching prospect who burst onto the scene last year advancing from Low A Delmarva to High A Frederick to AA Bowie. This season, he moved ahead of another Orioles prospect, John Maine, and veteran left hander Eric DuBose to get the start yesterday against the Detroit Tigers as a 20 year old phenom. Penn is filling in for the Orioles ace, Eric Bedard, who went onto the disabled list with a strained knee tendon. Penn pitched will enough to win yesterday, working into the fifth inning when he loaded the bases with one out and a 2-1 lead; he induced the ground ball he needed only to have Rafael Palmeiro drop the ball on the second out. That allowed the tying run to score, and the next batter got a hit to drive in the go ahead run. So instead of sitting in the dugout with a chance to win the game, Penn left the game with the score against him. Penn’s final line in a 102 pitch effort was 4 2/3 innings pitched, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts, one earned run (a 3-2 pitch Craig Monroe hit into the left field seats) and 5 hits. All told, I thought he showed major league stuff, flashing a 95 mph fastball, changeup and a sharp breaking curve. Unfortunately, he looked like a 20-year-old standing on a mound in front of 35,000 people for the first time. The butterflies showed and his inexperience was evident. On another day, Penn might have emerged victorious. However the Oriole bats have been in a deep funk lately, the once devastating lineup struggling of late. Even the return of Sammy Sosa has not helped. Sosa has yet to find his groove since coming off the DL. Earlier in the season, Penn’s effort would have paid off for him, since the Oriole bats would have ridden to his rescue as the game progressed … but not lately! --- John
Kazlo |
