Post by San Diego Padres GM on Dec 25, 2008 6:49:57 GMT -5
San Diego Union-Tribune - August 16, 2001
Making only his fifth ever Major League start, San Diego Padres
starting pitcher Brian Lawrence managed to put an explanation
point on top of his already impressive MLB debut by pitching a
perfect game versus the Colorado Rockies. It was especially
sweet because Lawrence, a Colorado native, did it in front of his
entire family. But let's rewind just a little bit.
Brian Lawrence is a charismatic and driven man. Born in Fort
Collins, CO, he found baseball at an early age. It didn't take
long for him to catch the fever as he pushed himself constantly
to achieve bigger and better things. He attended Northwestern
State University in Louisiana where he put up some impressive
numbers. Then, in 1996, the San Diego Padres selected Lawrence
in the 17th round of the MLB draft. However, Lawrence floundered
on the rookie-ball Peoria team for several seasons. He was at a
low period of his career.
But in 2000, something clicked for Lawrence. "I saw Pedro
Martinez pitch a few games in 1999, and I was just blown away.
He put together such an amazing season that year. I just told
myself that with a lot of hard work and dedication, perhaps I
could get to that point." Excited, Lawrence took it upon himself
to raise his bar even higher. He was determined to prove that
he could pitch in the Majors.
The Padres were agressive with Lawrence's promotions in 2000,
initially putting him in A-ball but quickly deciding to let him pitch
in AA San Antonio. "There was just something different about the
guy last year," said farm director Javier Manuel. "He had more
drive, was putting in extra hours with the coaches. He had a
fire in his eyes. He begged to be challenged in AA."
He impressed enough that he was allowed to jump to AAA Portland
this year. There, the 25 year-old Lawrence focused and put up
some of the best numbers of his minor-league career. And then,
with a struggling MLB rotation, San Diego made the call. On July
24th, Lawrence got his chance to play for the big club. That first
performance was strong, especially given that he was starting
on short rest. But he got stronger from there, winning his next
three games and giving up two or fewer runs in all cases. This
leading up to his big night in Colorado.
"I swear, it's such an incredible feeling. Words just can't describe
how amazing it was to pitch that kind of game in front of my family
and friends. They were all pumped to see me pitch. I wanted to
not embarass myself, but it turned out much better. It's just...
so incredible." It only took Lawrence 89 pitches to make it through
nine innings, mixing up his sinker, cutter, and change very well
and then baffling Colorado batters with an electric slider. In all,
he struck out 11 batters in the performance lowering his ERA
down to 1.72 for the season.
Lawrence throwing a nasty curve during his perfect game
Of course, the Padres don't have much to play for these days,
spending another season low in the standings. However, Lawrence
is giving Padres fans something to talk about. And management
says this is an early sign of things to come from this Padres team.
"Listen. We know we've got a lot of work to do," said the Padres
GM. "But we also know that we've been building our farm talent.
We know that in a few short seasons, we'll have a young core
of players that will put the Padres back on the baseball map.
And that gutsy performance from Bri(an) I think is only a sign
of the great things to come."
It may be that in the scope of the season, the win doesn't matter
that much, but to Brian Lawrence, his teammmates, and the coaches,
it means everything. And if nothing else, everyone could leave
the ballpark smiling about something.
-----
-Pads
Making only his fifth ever Major League start, San Diego Padres
starting pitcher Brian Lawrence managed to put an explanation
point on top of his already impressive MLB debut by pitching a
perfect game versus the Colorado Rockies. It was especially
sweet because Lawrence, a Colorado native, did it in front of his
entire family. But let's rewind just a little bit.
Brian Lawrence is a charismatic and driven man. Born in Fort
Collins, CO, he found baseball at an early age. It didn't take
long for him to catch the fever as he pushed himself constantly
to achieve bigger and better things. He attended Northwestern
State University in Louisiana where he put up some impressive
numbers. Then, in 1996, the San Diego Padres selected Lawrence
in the 17th round of the MLB draft. However, Lawrence floundered
on the rookie-ball Peoria team for several seasons. He was at a
low period of his career.
But in 2000, something clicked for Lawrence. "I saw Pedro
Martinez pitch a few games in 1999, and I was just blown away.
He put together such an amazing season that year. I just told
myself that with a lot of hard work and dedication, perhaps I
could get to that point." Excited, Lawrence took it upon himself
to raise his bar even higher. He was determined to prove that
he could pitch in the Majors.
The Padres were agressive with Lawrence's promotions in 2000,
initially putting him in A-ball but quickly deciding to let him pitch
in AA San Antonio. "There was just something different about the
guy last year," said farm director Javier Manuel. "He had more
drive, was putting in extra hours with the coaches. He had a
fire in his eyes. He begged to be challenged in AA."
He impressed enough that he was allowed to jump to AAA Portland
this year. There, the 25 year-old Lawrence focused and put up
some of the best numbers of his minor-league career. And then,
with a struggling MLB rotation, San Diego made the call. On July
24th, Lawrence got his chance to play for the big club. That first
performance was strong, especially given that he was starting
on short rest. But he got stronger from there, winning his next
three games and giving up two or fewer runs in all cases. This
leading up to his big night in Colorado.
"I swear, it's such an incredible feeling. Words just can't describe
how amazing it was to pitch that kind of game in front of my family
and friends. They were all pumped to see me pitch. I wanted to
not embarass myself, but it turned out much better. It's just...
so incredible." It only took Lawrence 89 pitches to make it through
nine innings, mixing up his sinker, cutter, and change very well
and then baffling Colorado batters with an electric slider. In all,
he struck out 11 batters in the performance lowering his ERA
down to 1.72 for the season.
Lawrence throwing a nasty curve during his perfect game
Of course, the Padres don't have much to play for these days,
spending another season low in the standings. However, Lawrence
is giving Padres fans something to talk about. And management
says this is an early sign of things to come from this Padres team.
"Listen. We know we've got a lot of work to do," said the Padres
GM. "But we also know that we've been building our farm talent.
We know that in a few short seasons, we'll have a young core
of players that will put the Padres back on the baseball map.
And that gutsy performance from Bri(an) I think is only a sign
of the great things to come."
It may be that in the scope of the season, the win doesn't matter
that much, but to Brian Lawrence, his teammmates, and the coaches,
it means everything. And if nothing else, everyone could leave
the ballpark smiling about something.
-----
-Pads