Mike Milchin made it all the way back from reconstructive surgery on his elbow two years earlier to make his major league debut with the Twins in May 1996, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote.
The reliever Milchin earned his first win in his third time out and he hoped for more, The Star-Tribune wrote.
"I want to make the most of my chances here," Milchin told The Star-Tribune.
Milchin's major league chances ended up being confined to that one season, 1996, between the Twins and the Orioles. Milchin has gone on to help others make the most of their chances - as a player agent.
Milchin's pro career began in 1989, taken by the Cardinals in the second round of the draft out of Clemson University.
Milchin started with the Cardinals between short-season Hamilton and single-A Springfield. He went 4-4, with a 2.16 ERA between them. He then made high-A St. Petersburg and AA Arkansas in 1990.
At St. Petersburg in May 1990, Milchin struck out 11 batters and gave up three hits with no runs, The Tampa Bay Times wrote.
"I felt pretty good," Milchin told The Times afterward. "Later in the game I got a little tired and I got (even) better control."
He moved to Arkansas and AAA Louisville in 1991. He went 8-11, with a 4.52 ERA over 24 starts in 1991. Milchin then saw 12 starts at Louisville in 1992, then 32 outings, 17 starts in 1993. He went 3-7, with a 3.95 ERA in 1993.
Then came his elbow surgery and rehab. Milchin returned to the field with the Dodgers at AAA Albuquerque. He went 8-4 over 18 outings, 17 starts, with a 4.32 ERA.
He signed with the Twins to start 1996 and soon got his call. He got into 26 games in relief. He went 2-1, with a 8.31 ERA.
The Orioles then took him off waivers and he saw another 13 relief outings. His second appearance saw him relieve in a bases-loaded, one out, tie game situation and saw him get out of it.
"(Catcher Chris) Hoiles put down a breaking ball," Milchin told The Washington Post of a crucial pitch. "And I thought, 'Well, that sounds like a pretty good idea to me.' And I just put it up there and it was a pretty good pitch."
Milchin went 1-0 with the Orioles, with a 5.73 ERA. That season in 1996 marked the extent of Milchin's big league time and his last time as a pro.
Milchin has since gone into sports management. In 2022, he's listed as a player representative for ISE Worldwide.
- Tampa Bay Times, May 18, 1990: Milchin, Cards blank Clearwater
- Minneapolis Star-Tribune, May 22, 1996: A night of atonement, Part 2
Made the Majors:1,323-33.3%-X
Never Made Majors:2,646-66.7%
5+ Seasons in the Majors:541
10+ Seasons in the Minors:329
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