Chris Britton walked into the manager?s office at Prince George?s Stadium in Bowie.
It was early April, and manager Don Werner of the Bowie Baysox wanted to talk to the husky Florida native.
Britton, a right-handed pitcher, was told he was being called up to the major leagues for the first time.
His reaction? “Very surprised,” said Britton, who had not pitched above Class-A ball until this season. Britton missed all of the 2003 season, when he had surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow.
He made his major league debut at Tampa Bay on April 12, and got the last two outs of the game. Britton was sent back to Bowie on April 29, then was called back up to the Orioles on May 15. He threw two perfect innings against Boston out of the bullpen that day.
“Being my second time up here, I am a little bit more confident, a little more relaxed,” Britton said after pitching on Saturday at Washington. “They told me to go out there and throw strikes.”
“A few years ago … he just decided to throw the ball over the plate,” Bowie pitching coach Scott McGregor said on Tuesday about Britton. “The ball seems to jump on [hitters]. He is real aggressive. He is not afraid. He is very durable.”
The Orioles have been searching for answers in the bullpen, and Britton has had success. Prior to Tuesday?s game in Seattle, the 6-feet-3, 278-pounder was 0-0 with a 3.12 ERA in seven games. In 8.2 innings, he allowed eights with three walks and eight strikeouts.
Britton, a former starter, became a reliever in 2005 with Single-A Frederick, and was 6-0 with an ERA of 1.60 in 78.2 innings. He struck out 110 batters.
“I think once through the order is perfect for him,” Werner said.
THE BRITTON FILE
Position: Pitcher
Born: Hollywood, Fla.
Drafted: in 2001 by the Orioles, in the 8th round
Did you know? Bowie pitching coach Scott McGregor, a former Oriole, said that pitcher Adam Loewen flew out of a Pittsburgh airport at 6:45 a.m. Tuesday and headed to Seattle, where he was slated to start for the Orioles Tuesday night. Loewen was with Bowie, and takes the place of Hayden Penn, who was slated to start Tuesday before he became ill.
