The outing, though, didn't go as McGehee had planned.
"There was a lot of adrenalin there," McGehee told The Sun later. "I was really psyched up at that point."
McGehee couldn't really put that adrenalin to use. He hit Gonzalez and went on to give up five earned runs in four innings of work, all in his major league debut.
After another six-run, four-inning outing in his second appearance, McGehee settled down in his next three, throwing 8.2 scoreless. Those 8.2 scoreless, though, ended up being the finish of McGehee's big league career, his big league career lasting just those five outings.
McGehee's path to those major league outings started three years earlier, taken by the Giants in the eighth round of the draft, out of Louisiana Tech University.
McGehee started with the Giants at short-season Everett, going 4-8 in 14 starts. He made high-A San Jose in 1991, then AA Shreveport in 1992, then started at AAA Phoenix in 1993.
After going 0-3 at Phoenix, though, the Giants traded him to the Orioles in late-April. With the Orioles, McGehee found his stride, going 7-6, with a 2.96 ERA over 20 starts. By early-August, McGehee was leading the International League in ERA.
He then earned his call-up to Baltimore. By late September, McGehee knew the stakes, both for himself and the other Orioles rookies.
"Obviously, we have a lot of pitchers up here right now," McGehee told The Sun, "and it might be tough for us to get in, but when we do, we have to make the best of it."
McGehee did make the best of his final outings, but it wasn't enough. He never did get back to the bigs.
McGehee returned to Rochester for 1994, going 10-8 in 24 starts. He then went 11-9 in another run with Rochester in 1995, but it was his final year as a pro, ending his career with five big league appearances.
- Baltimore Sun, Aug. 24, 1993: Rangers give McGehee big welcome to the bigs
- Baltimore Sun, Sept. 25, 1993: O's pitching trio awaits chance it hopes won't come
Players/Coaches Featured: 949
Made the Majors: 620 - 65.3%-X
Never Made Majors: 329-34.7%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 276
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 165
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