Post by #1 Jays Fan on Apr 19, 2008 22:43:22 GMT -5
TORONTO -- Looking to take advantage of a rare night off together, David Purcey and his wife decided to spend a few hours on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls on Wednesday.
Crossing the border from Buffalo, N.Y., where he was with the triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, turned out to be quite the adventure.
"It was hard to explain. With Texas plates on our car, people were going, `Why you only going here for a couple of hours?"' Purcey recalled Thursday, hours after the Toronto Blue Jays recalled him. "They ended up inspecting the car."
Purcey and his wife eventually got through, had a nice time, and returned to Buffalo, only to cross the border again Thursday afternoon after Chiefs manager Doug Davis gave him the good news. Explaining he was en route to join the Blue Jays made things easier.
"They didn't search our car the second time," he said with a smile.
The six-foot-five left-hander is scheduled to make his big-league debut Friday against the Detroit Tigers, a significant test for the 2004 first-round pick who is expected to be returned to the minors for a reliever after the outing.
A.J. Burnett was scheduled to make the start but will go Sunday instead after coming out of the bullpen to pitch the 14th inning in Wednesday's 7-5 loss to Texas.
"I'm looking forward to helping any way I can," said Purcey.
Dustin McGowan will pitch Saturday as scheduled, with Shaun Marcum and Jesse Litsch each being pushed back a day to follow Burnett. Reliever Brian Wolfe was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right triceps strain to make room for Purcey.
"Hopefully he comes back quick," Jays manager John Gibbons said of Wolfe. "It's just muscle so it's no big deal. ... Purcey is off to a good start down there. He's the logical choice and it's perfect because he was (scheduled to pitch Friday for Syracuse)."
Purcey was 2-0 with a 1.89 earned-run average in three starts for the Chiefs, striking out 21 batters in 19 innings. He's made huge strides in recent months after a stress fracture in his left elbow and cysts in his left forearm derailed him last season.
The recall, brief as it's expected to be, has been a long time coming.
"I learned a lot in the minor-leagues the last couple of years," said Purcey. "I had time to learn who I was as a pitcher and what I need to do on the mound as opposed to what everyone else thinks I should do. I feel comfortable with what I need to do."
The Blue Jays are eager to see how Purcey handles the challenge. The Tigers have one of the American League's toughest lineups and are heating up after a slow start.
"He's been throwing well, he threw well in spring training, he made three good starts in triple-A," said GM J.P. Ricciardi. "Give him a chance."
Crossing the border from Buffalo, N.Y., where he was with the triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, turned out to be quite the adventure.
"It was hard to explain. With Texas plates on our car, people were going, `Why you only going here for a couple of hours?"' Purcey recalled Thursday, hours after the Toronto Blue Jays recalled him. "They ended up inspecting the car."
Purcey and his wife eventually got through, had a nice time, and returned to Buffalo, only to cross the border again Thursday afternoon after Chiefs manager Doug Davis gave him the good news. Explaining he was en route to join the Blue Jays made things easier.
"They didn't search our car the second time," he said with a smile.
The six-foot-five left-hander is scheduled to make his big-league debut Friday against the Detroit Tigers, a significant test for the 2004 first-round pick who is expected to be returned to the minors for a reliever after the outing.
A.J. Burnett was scheduled to make the start but will go Sunday instead after coming out of the bullpen to pitch the 14th inning in Wednesday's 7-5 loss to Texas.
"I'm looking forward to helping any way I can," said Purcey.
Dustin McGowan will pitch Saturday as scheduled, with Shaun Marcum and Jesse Litsch each being pushed back a day to follow Burnett. Reliever Brian Wolfe was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right triceps strain to make room for Purcey.
"Hopefully he comes back quick," Jays manager John Gibbons said of Wolfe. "It's just muscle so it's no big deal. ... Purcey is off to a good start down there. He's the logical choice and it's perfect because he was (scheduled to pitch Friday for Syracuse)."
Purcey was 2-0 with a 1.89 earned-run average in three starts for the Chiefs, striking out 21 batters in 19 innings. He's made huge strides in recent months after a stress fracture in his left elbow and cysts in his left forearm derailed him last season.
The recall, brief as it's expected to be, has been a long time coming.
"I learned a lot in the minor-leagues the last couple of years," said Purcey. "I had time to learn who I was as a pitcher and what I need to do on the mound as opposed to what everyone else thinks I should do. I feel comfortable with what I need to do."
The Blue Jays are eager to see how Purcey handles the challenge. The Tigers have one of the American League's toughest lineups and are heating up after a slow start.
"He's been throwing well, he threw well in spring training, he made three good starts in triple-A," said GM J.P. Ricciardi. "Give him a chance."
