How Not to Make a First Impression, By Rangers Pitcher Darren O'Day

You know what must be nice? Being in a profession where you can be demoted for poor performance, yet then a few days later, while just chillin’ at your home in sunny Florida, have someone call you and offer a promotion with a different company. It really takes all the sport out of job hunting.

This is what happened to Darren O’Day yesterday, a relief pitcher who was picked up by the Rangers after being slapped with the dreaded “designated for assignment” tag by the Mets. He received the call from his agent that Texas had claimed him around lunchtime, and was on a plane for Toronto, where the Rangers were playing last night, within two hours. Once on the ground in Canada, this happened:

"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."

That’s right: In the span of about 10 hours, he went from hanging out in Panama City, enjoying a ham sandwich to pitching in the bottom of the 11th of a tied game with runners on first and second. I’d love to end this little tale by telling you he struck out the side, but no, that’s not what happened at all. He actually gave up a game-winning hit to Kevin Millar.

On the bright side, he did it while wearing the jersey of pitcher Kason Gabbard, so I’m sure his teammates didn’t even notice the difference. Other than the fact that Gabbard is a left-handed over-the-top pitcher and O’Day is a side-arming rightie.

(Image via BLS)

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.