Cavalier Corner

cavalier profile SEAN DOOLITTLE Alum • Baseball ladder stalled as a hitter, in part due to knee problems, Sean Doolittle turned to something that he also did as a two-way player during his career at Virginia: pitching. Drafted as a first baseman by the When his climb up the Oakland A's A's in the first round in 2007, Doo- little pitched in a pro game for the first time with one inning in the Ari- zona League in 2011 after missing almost the entire season with a torn left patella. The left-handed reliever then made a startling rise this year, posting a 0.87 ERA in six games in the Class A California League, a mark of 0.82 in eight games in the Double- A Texas League and an ERA of 0.00 in two outings in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He then made his major league debut June 5, and five days later he fanned five batters in two innings against Arizona. Doolittle also fanned the side against Seattle in one inning of work July 8. "I don't want to sound cocky or anything like that, but from early on in this process it was apparent that I had a chance to not only make the transition but to have success with it, in the Instructional League in the fall being around younger guys. It was a unique situation. I enjoyed every bit of climbing the ladder this year [in the minors]. I was so fortunate to get a second chance. " Doolittle said. "It was tough being mound with the A's through July 19, he was 1-0 with an ERA of 1.96 and an amazing strikeout-to-walk ratio of 26-4 in just 181 In his first 14 appearances on the " throughout his transition from hitter to pitcher, but said the lowest point Doolittle has kept a positive attitude ⁄3 innings of work. for him was when he injured in wrist in the spring of 2011 after coming back from his second knee surgery. He gives a lot of credit for his come- back from injuries to Garvin Alston, a special instructor for pitching/rehabili- tation for the Oakland A's. "We spent a lot of days out in the sun in Arizona," Doolittle said of Alston. While Doolittle spent most of his youth in New Jersey, he used to live in Northern California when his father was stationed at an Air Force base that no longer exists. He has memories of watching the Oakland A's teams — that included Jose Canseco, Mark Mc- Gwire and Dennis Eckersley — in per- son before his family moved to New Jersey on his fifth birthday. "It is kind of cool, in Oakland. "Things sort of came full circle. " — David Driver ◆ Photo by Michael Zagaris/courtesy Oakland Athletics CAVALIER CORNER ◆ AUGUST 2012 ◆ 51 " he said of being

• Cover
• VAF Pages