Phillippe Aumont, one of the prospects received in the 2009 trade of Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners, has been called up by the Philadelphia Phillies to replace Jeremy Horst. Horst has been placed on the paternity leave list. As irony would have it, Aumont will be activated for tonight’ game, which will be started by Lee.
I am not sure how many times this has happened in the course of Major League Baseball history but I would be willing to bet that it has not happened often. A starting pitcher who was traded to obtain a minor league pitcher will start a game that could end up being that minor leaguer’s major league debut, and they will pitch for the same team. Obviously this means Lee would have to be pulled from the game at some point, but given the way Lee’s season has gone that is not exactly a stretch to imagine. So with history to root for, here’s hoping Aumont can make an appearance tonight against the Cincinnati Reds.
Somebody call Jayson Stark and have him dig up the historical background on this type of event.
As for Aumont, he has been pitching well for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. As Phillies.com notes, Aumont is 3-1 with a 4.26 ERA in 41 games for Lehigh Valley but his command has been dependable with 59 strikeouts, despite having walked 34 batters. Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com points out Aumont has a 2.08 ERA in 15 appearances since his trip to the triple A all-star game.
In 41 games for the IronPigs this season, Aumont was 3-1 with a 4.26 ERA. Likely the biggest reason he was in Triple-A was a lack of consistency with his command, as he’s recorded 59 strikeouts, but also 34 walks.
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