Believe it or not, sometimes getting blown out in a baseball game can change a person's life.
Back in 2003, Chris Testa, the newest Winnipeg Goldeye, was an outfielder for the South Georgia Waves, a South Atlantic League A-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Waves had a young pitching staff that got knocked around pretty good on occasion, and one night during a lopsided loss the Waves' manager got an idea.
"We were getting blown out and they asked if anybody wanted to pitch," said Testa, a 24-year-old from Palmdale, Calif. "Me and another guy named Brett Wayne said we would.
"I did fine. I didn't even give up a run or anything," said Testa, who had pitched a little in high school but had been an outfielder since his senior year. "The next day they ran us out there again, which was funny because it felt like my arm was going to fall off."
"I did both for the rest of the year.
"The next year I was playing in Vero Beach and I was struggling. I wasn't playing that often. Everybody wants to play so I told them just to make me a pitcher," said Testa, a southpaw. "They say the biggest demand in baseball is left-handed pitching, so whatever allows me to play."
Interestingly, Wayne, the other player who decided to pitch that day for the Waves, has also moved on to become a full-time hurler, and is currently plying his trade in the California League.
Testa, who was released from the Dodgers' organization last fall, joined the Goldeyes only a few days ago, and appeared in his first game Friday night in Sioux Falls. He faced three batters, walking one (which scored a run, as he had inherited a bases-loaded situation) and getting the others to ground out. His fastball reached the high 80s.
It was the first time he had pitched since last fall because he had been awaiting the birth of his first child -- a son named Jacob, who was born last week -- before rejoining a baseball team.
"The walk was inexcusable. I wasn't real happy about that," he said. "It's been awhile, but it felt good."
Goldeyes manager Hal Lanier said he was pleased with Testa's performance.
"His forte is supposed to be getting lefties out and he did that," said Lanier. "He threw harder than Nick (Belmonte, the Goldeyes personnel consultant who found Testa) told me he threw, which was a pleasant surprise."
Testa, who was drafted right out of high school as an outfielder by the Colorado Rockies, put up some good power numbers as a minor league hitter, but said although he'd love to be able to hit again, he thinks pitching will get him further.
Lanier said he got Testa to be a situational reliever and get left-handed batters out, but he can't let him hit because as soon as he takes two at-bats his status changes from an LS-1 to an LS-4, a status they can't afford to use up on a situational reliever. The move from position player to pitcher isn't unheard of, said Lanier.
"I've had a couple guys do it. Rafael Gross did it," he said of the Goldeyes' all-time wins leader, who used to be an infielder. "You just never know. If you've got a good arm sometimes that's the best scenario for you if you don't think you're going to go anywhere swinging the bat."
