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Romero has a dream debut

By WIRE SERVICES

Story Published: Apr 13, 2009 at 12:25 PM PDT



It was a dream debut for Toronto Blue Jays rookie pitcher Ricky Romero.

The product of East L.A. and Roosevelt High School may have had trouble sleeping the night before, but after Thursday’s performance against the Detroit Tigers, his anxiety level had dropped considerably.

Romero, who makes his second career start Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, put together six solid innings in a 6-2 victory over Detroit.

The sixth overall selection in the 2005 first-year player draft struck out five, walked two and gave up two earned runs in a seven-hit effort to defeat Rick Porcello, a 2007 first-round pick also making his big league debut.

“I kept just waking up all night,” Romero told the media after his historic debut. “I was checking my clock, making sure I wasn’t late this morning.”

What made this historic was both pitchers were debuting. It marked the first time since the first-year player draft began in 1965 that two first-round selections debuted against each other. Since 1901, only 18 games have included the first big league appearance for both starting pitchers.

“I know we made some history,” Romero said. “But, just coming into the game, I was worried about me and the team, and I just wanted to put them in a good situation to win this ballgame.”

Making the day even more special was Romero’s parents, two sisters and brother were in the stands after a long flight from L.A.

“It’s a day that I’m never going to forget,” Romero said.

Toronto catcher Michael Barrett was impressed with the way Romero changed his approach over his final three innings.

“For a young pitcher to be able to stop the way he’s pitching and go to another way is a credit to him,” Barrett said. “That made the difference in today’s game.”

Toronto manager Cito Gaston liked what he saw, as well.

“He shows confidence and he keeps his composure,” Gaston said. “He doesn’t rattle too easy. Maybe he’s going fast inside, but you can’t tell on the outside in the job that he does. That’s just a sign of, hopefully, a great pitcher.”