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Brandon Waddell proved to himself on Wednesday night that he still has major league innings in that left arm of his. Called up by the New York Mets from Triple-A Syracuse earlier in the day, Waddell followed opener Huascar Brazobán to the mound against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was Waddell’s first appearance in a major league game since July 9, 2021, when he played for the St.
Louis Cardinals. He entered in the third inning and threw 4.1 innings, giving up three hits, walking none and striking out four.
Waddell struck out Josh Naylor to lead off the seventh inning, then departed with one out, a 1-0 lead and a chance at his first major league win. The bullpen couldn’t hold the slim lead, and the Diamondbacks won 4-3. After the game, Waddell addressed his effort.
"I think I can pitch here and that was one of the reasons I really wanted to come back,” he said, according to video shared by SNY. “To be able to do that is pretty cool" Now 30, Waddell was a fifth-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in the 2015 MLB Draft. He pitched in 11 major league games between 2020 for four teams – the Orioles, Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins – and has an 0-1 record with a 5.
68 ERA in 12.2 innings. Released by the Cardinals in mid-2022, he finished that season in the Korean Baseball Organization, split the 2023 campaign between teams in China and Korea, and returned to the KBO in 2024.
In three seasons abroad, he started 55 games and had a 28-15 record with a 3.05 ERA in 315 2/3 innings pitched. He struck out 275 batters.
The Mets signed him to a minor league deal in December and at Syracuse, he started five games and was 1-1 with a 1.54 ERA. He said Wednesday night that he enjoyed hearing the applause from the Mets fans as he walked off the field.
"Something I definitely didn't expect,” he said. “But you can feel it as a player. It means a lot to have that support.
It's something we always really cherish." Related MiLB Stories SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE BOUND: New York Yankees prospect Jorbit Vivas has played in 595 minor league games without a big league appearance. And that didn’t change after a recent call-up .
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