Watch the awesome moment pitcher Chris Paddack learns he made the Padres' roster
San Diego Padres pitcher Chris Paddack was in for a surprise after throwing 2 2/3 shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners Monday night.
Manager Andy Green approached the mound and delivered the exciting news: The 23-year old would be in the Padres’ rotation when the regular season begins. According to the Associated Press, the right-hander will make his professional debut Sunday against the San Francisco Giants.
Paddack couldn’t contain his excitement.
“(He) earned it. He really did. He did it the way you want to see everybody do it. He knocked the door down,” Green said about the rising star.
Paddack was visibly emotional as he exited the mound after a successful outing. He later spoke with his family and his best friend, sharing the big news with those most important to him.
“Tears of joy. Tears of hard work,” Paddack said. “Just reflecting on everything that happened, soaking it all in. They gave me some time to call the family. If you were in the hallway you probably heard me screaming.”
The journey to this major accomplishment hasn’t been easy for the Austin native. Paddack underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016 after throwing just 42 innings in the minors. He sat out all of 2017 to recover and split last year between Class A Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio.
MLB.com recently ranked Paddack No. 34 on their 2019 prospect watch, adding that he “uses his height to create good plane toward the plate, and it's only going to improve as he adds strength and gains better control of his core.”
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