DURHAM, NC – Arizona reliever Chaz Roe (pictured) was thrust into a tough spot on Monday night in New York. The Diamondbacks and Mets were knotted at 3-3 when Roe came in for the bottom of the 10th. As if the situation was not already stressful for the 26-year old Roe, the extra-innings relief appearance was also his major league debut.
Roe’s first big league relief outing comes just a year after he was coming out of the bullpen for the Laredo Lemurs. The Lexington, KY native made 49 appearances for Laredo in 2012, posting a 3-2 record with a 1.47 ERA. In 55 innings, Roe struck out 69 batters and walked only seven.
Prior to his time in the American Association, Roe was a first round draft selection by the Colorado Rockies in 2005. The Rockies took the Lafayette High School product 32nd overall and sent him to Casper in the Rookie-level Pioneer League. Roe moved up the Rockies’ system, finally reaching Triple-A Colorado Springs in 2010 before being dealt to the Mariners’ organization in 2011. He pitched in Triple-A Tacoma in 2011 before going to Laredo the following season.
After his successful year with the Lemurs, the Diamondbacks purchased Roe’s contract early in the 2012 offseason. He began the year in Double-A Mobile, where he pitched a scoreless 2.1 innings before being sent up to Triple-A Reno.
Fast-forward to Monday night at Citi Field. The Mets threatened quickly off Roe, as Omar Quintanilla singled and Andrew Brown bunted him into scoring position. But, Roe evaded danger by retiring Eric Young and Daniel Murphy, leaving the Mets’ winning run stranded at third in the process.
Roe came back out for the 11th and recorded two outs, but left with the bases loaded. Tony Sipp replaced Roe and retired Quintanilla to end the inning, keeping the tie game and Roe’s scoreless outing intact. The Mets went on to win the game in the 13th, but Roe’s MLB debut was a success. The former Laredo Lemurs righty pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
