Red Sox catching up with old friends: David Aardsma
By Drew Peabody
The one-time Red Sox reliever has some interesting stories to tell.
The Red Sox career of reliever David Aardsma was just a season long, but even if he hadn’t been in Boston, his career should be of some interest to any fan of baseball. When he made his major league debut in 2004, he became the first in an alphabetical list of major league players. Hall of Famer Hank Aaron had held this distinction since his major league debut in 1954.
Aardsma has had some extreme highs and lows in his career. Drafted in the first round in 2003, he was in the majors by Opening Day 2004 with the San Francisco Giants. His 6.75 ERA that season shows maybe he was not ready. The Giants traded him to the Chicago Cubs in May 2005. By the time he came to Boston in January 2008, he was on his fourth organization.
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The Red Sox were coming off a title in 2007 and expectations were certainly high for a repeat in 2008. They missed the World Series by one game that season but Aardsma didn’t see the postseason. He posted a 5.55 ERA is 48.2 innings in a season hindered by injury.
What is notable about his terrible season in Boston is how much he turned his career around when he was traded to Seattle for a minor leaguer.
While in Seattle, he became the closer, saving 69 games over two seasons. In 2011, however, he suffered an arm injury causing him to miss the 2011 and 2012 seasons after Tommy John surgery. His career has never been the same since. He has seen major league time in just three seasons since 2010.
Aardsma was back in the news last summer, pitching to Tim Tebow for his showcase for major league scouts which inevitably landed Tebow a minor league deal with the New York Mets. Aardsma is certainly a baseball lifer, still trying to get back to the majors as a 35 year old with the Long Island Ducks of the independent South Atlantic League. He has 16 strikeouts and a 0.82 ERA over 11 innings so far this season.
YouTube Independent League interviewer Tyler Boronski caught up with Aardsma for this recently posted interview. The first few minutes are what might interest Red Sox fans, talking about his experiences in Boston at the 2008 ring ceremony.
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