Chris Ray had never pitched above the Class A level prior to the 2005 season. But on June 13 he was called up by the Orioles, from Class AA Bowie.
Suddenly, he was living near the Inner Harbor ? and living the Major League dream.
“It makes you not ever want to leave, I will tell you that much,” said Ray, the highest-drafted player ever out of William & Mary in Virginia.
Ray, as a rookie last season, would head to the Oriole clubhouse around 1 p.m. for 7:05 p.m. games. He was not required to be there until around 2:30 p.m. So why did he come early?
“I didn?t want to be anywhere else,” said Ray, whobegan his pro career with Aberdeen in 2003. He was sent back to Bowie on Aug. 9, then called back to the Orioles two weeks later for the remainder of last season.
This season he has an even bigger challenge as the closer out of the bullpen for the Orioles. The right-hander from Tampa, Fla. throws a two-seam and four-seam fastball, and a slider.
“The biggest thing is to have confidence. You really can?t dwell on anything negative,” Ray said of the pressure-packed job.
Ray pitched the top of the ninth inning at home Saturday against the Red Sox. He threw 11 pitches and retired the side in order, in a 2-1 loss to Boston.
“The first time I saw him (pitch), I thought that guy was electric. He doesn?t seem to get rattled easily,” said Jay Gibbons, a veteran outfielder for the Orioles.
A year ago Ray was hoping to make the Class AA club at Bowie in the Eastern League. Now he will face some of the top hitters in the American League.
“In this game, nothing is guaranteed. I couldn?t just show up and make this team,” he said. “I am pretty pleased with my spring. I felt I came in with my arm in pretty good shape.”
Ray, 24, was 1-3 with an ERA of 2.66 in 41 games last season for the Orioles. He was drafted as the 74th player overall in the 2003 draft by the Orioles, out of William & Mary.
William & Mary is in the same Division I conference, the Colonial Athletic Association, as George Mason University of Fairfax, Va. Ray said he was rooting for Mason, with Baltimore product Will Thomas and Jai Lewis of Aberdeen, during its run in the NCAA basketball tournament.
Now he has more important matters to deal with.
The Orioles moved him to the bullpen in 2005, and he was 1-2 with an ERA of 0.96 in 31 games with the Baysox.
THE RAY FILE
» Team: Orioles
» Position: Closer
» Uniform number: 37
» Did you know? Ray began his pro career with the Aberdeen IronBirds, and was 2-0 with an ERA of 2.82 in nine games (eight starts) in 2003. He pitched for Class A Delmarva and Frederick the next season, and made 23 starts in 24 outings.
