Holzemer gave up five runs on nine hits in the no-decision. The young pitcher explained to The Times his thinking during his big debut.
"I wasn't nervous in the bullpen and I wasn't nervous warming up," Holzemer told The Times, "but after I got the first guy out, then it hit me."
Holzemer went on to see time in six major league campaigns for four different clubs. He got into 94 games, serving mostly as a reliever.
Holezmer's career began in 1987, taken by the Angels in the fourth round of the draft out of Seminole State College in Oklahoma.
Holzemer started with the Angels at short-season Bend. He made single-A Quad City in 1989 and AA Midland in 1990. He first hit AAA Edmonton in 1992, then Anaheim in 1993.
The Angels used Holzemer in five games in 1993. He debuted in August, but he had a good shot at making the club that spring. He just missed the cut, according to The San Bernardino County Sun.
"If you'd come up to me on the first day of spring training and said I'd be in Anaheim in April with a 50-50 chance of making the Opening Day roster, I'd have said you were crazy. No way," Holzemer told The Sun.
His four starts of 1993 marked the only starts of his major league career. He went 0-3, while giving up 23 earned in 23.1 innings.
After spending 1994 back at AAA, Holzemer returned to the bigs for 1995. He got into 12 games that year and a career-high 25 in 1996. He ended that year with an 8.76 ERA.
Following a particularly bad outing in May 1996 where he gave up four runs, Holzeman indicated to The Times he knew the precariousness of his situation.
"I'm not helping my cause," Holzemer told The Times. "The way I'm pitching now, it's tough for Lach to even throw me out there. Finley told me it's my mental approach, that I can't worry about going down [to the minor leagues], because if you pitch like it's going to be your last game, it will be."
He played 14 games for the Mariners in 1997 and 13 for the Athletics in 1998. He played his last major league time in 2000, 25 relief outings with the Phillies. After seeing time in Japan, he played his final pro time in the minors in 2002.
Holzeman has since returned to Colorado where he owns and instructs at Slammers Baseball, a club baseball academy. He also serves as an associate scout with the Royals.
- San Bernardino County Sun, April 4, 1993: Holzemer out to make most of stay in bigs
- Los Angeles Times, Aug. 22, 1993: Davis' Homer in Ninth Leads Angels
- Los Angeles Times, May 2, 1996: Humiliation in the Humidity for the Angels
Players/Coaches Featured: 2,754
Made the Majors:1,054-38.3%-X
Never Made Majors:1,700-61.7%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 441-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors:263
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