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Mather, '01 MP grad, makes Major League debut
Comments 0 | Recommend 0Outfielder called up by Cardinals
Joe Mather, a 2001 Mountain Pointe graduate, finally got his first taste of Major League Baseball over the weekend.
Mather, who still holds the school record in career home runs (23) and RBIs (92), and home runs in a season (17), was called up by the St. Louis Cardinals Friday afternoon.
He went 2-for-10 with an RBI in his first weekend as a big-leaguer, playing first base and outfield. Mather also had a full-extension catch in right field in the second inning of his first big league game.
Mather, who replaced Chris Duncan on the Cardinals roster, was selected by St. Louis in the third round of the 2001 draft.
Through 38 games at Triple-A Memphis, he was hitting .315 with 12 home runs and 24 RBIs.
He was nearly promoted two weeks ago to replace injured outfielder Rick Ankiel - Mather got a call from the front office telling him to pack his bags, but was told two hours later that he would be staying in Memphis when Ankiel didn't go on the disabled list.
Mather had his best professional season last year, hitting a combined 31 home runs and 77 RBIs while splitting the season between Double-A Springfield (Missouri) and Memphis.
Contact writer: (480) 898-4906 or rcasey@ahwatukee.com.
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