On June 16, 1986, a 23-year-old Jamie Moyer allowed three runs in 6 13 innings to beat the Phillies, 7-5, in his major league debut.
A month earlier, Jim Calhoun was named the head basketball coach at the University of Connecticut. A month later, Lindsay Lohan was born.
Here we are 26 years later and Moyer, 49, has won yet another big league job, this time with the Rockies. Moyer is expected to make Colorados Opening Day roster, according to NBC News.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post expects Moyer to start on the second day of the season in Houston.
Moyer had been battling with a handful of Rockies starting pitching candidates this spring. Eight different pitchers have started at least two games for Colorado since the beginning of March. Jhoulys Chacin, Jeremy Guthrie and Juan Nicasio figure to be the Rockies No. 1-3 starters, but the final two spots have been contested by Moyer, Tyler Chatwood, Guillermo Moscoso, Alex White and Drew Pomeranz.
In four major league outings this spring (three starts), Moyer has gone 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA, walking three and striking out 11 in 13 innings. Opponents have hit just .229 off him. Moscoso, acquired from the Athletics for Seth Smith, has struggled, as has White.
Moyers first win for Colorado will make him the oldest pitcher to ever win a major league game. Jack Quinn holds that record, at 49 years and 70 days. Moyer currently has 49 years and 132 days under his belt.
What makes Moyers story all the more remarkable is that he underwent Tommy John surgery last year, at age 48. He hasnt pitched in the bigs since 2010 with the Phillies, when he went 9-9 with a 4.84 ERA over 18 starts.
That final season in Philly wasnt Moyers strongest campaign, but he had his moments. On May 7, 2010, Moyer pitched a two-hit shutout against the Braves. Five starts later he pitched a complete game against the Padres, and following a one-inning, nine-run performance against the Red Sox, Moyer came back to allow three runs on five hits in 16 innings against the Yankees and Indians.
How the contact-prone Moyer will play at Coors Field is a concern. Moyer has only made two starts at the stadium, which opened in 1993. In those two games he allowed 11 earned runs in 11 innings, allowing opposing batters a .370 batting average and eight extra-base hits in 53 plate appearances.
As was the case for the entirety of Moyer's tenure in Philadelphia, his success will depend on pinpoint precision and the generosity of the home plate umpire.
E-mail Corey Seidman at cseidman@comcastsportsnet.com.
