Where They Are Now: Darren O’Day

He’d been gone only hours, but Darren O’Day already appeared in a game for the Texas Rangers, facing Kevin Millar in the 11th inning last night against the Blue Jays.

O’Day was so new they didn’t have a uniform for him, so he wore Kason Gabbard’s jersey. Yes, O’Day went into the game with the name “Gabbard” stitched across his back.

“I got off the plane in the eighth inning and had to go through customs and all that jazz,” O’Day said. “The traveling secretary was texting me back and forth. We originally planned to go to the hotel and he said ‘Go to the field, we might need you.’ I got here, got on a uniform and went out there.”

O’Day shook hands and introduced himself to his new teammates in the bullpen, immediately prior to warming up.

Unfortunately for Darren, Millar ripped a game-winning single off of him to deliver a victory for the Jays.

“Gabbard I thought was a left-handed pitcher and he came in throwing sinkerballs, side-armed right-handed, so I was a little confused at first,” Millar joked.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
  1. Murph April 23, 2009 at 12:49 am
    Welcome to Texas Rangers pitching!
  2. Walnutz15 April 23, 2009 at 9:02 am
    Welcome to the Darren O’Day Experience.

    God help any team that has him pitching in an important spot.

    “Unfortunately for Darren, Millar ripped a game-winning single off of him to deliver a victory for the Jays.”

    Key word being: RIPPED.

  3. Walnutz15 April 23, 2009 at 9:03 am
    ^ simply because I saw all I needed to see from him in the “frozen ropes” department, during his very short stint in a Met uni.

    Good luck Kason…I mean, Darren.