Ex-Tates Creek, UK star Trevor Gott on MLB debut: 'That was a dream come true'
The Los Angeles Angels fell behind 8-1 late in Sunday's game against the Oakland A's, a situation that offered the perfect, pressure-free opportunity for Trevor Gott to make his Major League Baseball debut.
The former Tates Creek and University of Kentucky star responded with a perfect inning of relief, and his fastball was clocked at 99 mph.
Gott, a sixth-round draft pick in 2013, got Andy Parrino and Max Muncy to fly out before getting his first strikeout against Sam Fuld.
Asked what was working for him against Oakland, Gott told Fox Sports, "everything, actually. Surprisingly. I was obviously nervous. That was a dream come true. I'm just glad my family was here to see it."
[VIDEO: Watch Fox Sports' post-game interview with Trevor Gott]
Angels Manager Mike Scioscia was pleased with the 22-year-old right-hander's performance.
"There's no doubt he's an exciting young arm, and we saw it out there this afternoon," Scioscia told Fox Sports. "We tried to get Trevor's feet on the ground and see where he fits in. His long-range potential is definitely as a backend guy in a really good bullpen. We'll see how he develops."
Mark Langston, the Angels' radio color analyst and a former major-league All-Star pitcher, liked what he saw from Gott, too.
"It was very impressive," he said during the broadcast. "It was not a pressure situation, but that's what you like to do with the young kids the first time in the big leagues: ease them into the games. You're gonna have enough adrenaline as it is. Certainly, it was a great game and a great opportunity to get him in this game. And, boy, that was quite impressive."
■ Oakland's Sonny Gray lowered his ERA to a major league-best 1.60 after pitching 72⁄3 innings in Oakland's 8-1 victory.
The right-hander is 5-1 with a 2.22 ERA in eight career starts against the Angels,
This story was originally published June 14, 2015 at 9:30 PM with the headline "Ex-Tates Creek, UK star Trevor Gott on MLB debut: 'That was a dream come true'."