Eric O'Flaherty

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**Eric O'Flaherty**
Born: February 5, 1985 (1985-02-05) (age 23)
Seattle Mariners — No. 59
Relief pitcher
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
Major League Baseball debut
August 16, 2006 for the Seattle Mariners
Selected MLB statistics (through 2007)
Win-Loss	7-1
Earned Run Average	4.41
Strikeouts	42
Teams
Seattle Mariners (2006-present)

Eric George O'Flaherty (born February 5, 1985 in Walla Walla, Washington) is a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Seattle Mariners of the American League. During his debut in 2006, O'Flaherty faced some challenges: however, his pitching became more refined in the 2007 season and O'Flaherty has quickly become a mainstay relief pitcher for the Mariners.

O'Flaherty became the first Mariner in franchise history to begin his Major League career with seven straight wins.

[edit] Major League Debut

O'Flaherty made his debut in the major leagues on August 16, 2006 against the Oakland Athletics. He pitched 2/3 of an inning, faced 4 batters, allowed one hit, one walk and got his first strikeout in the major leagues.

On the same day of O'Flaherty's debut, the Seattle Times reported that his "big-league visit was too short to qualify as a cup of coffee". The night before he had been flown in from Triple-A Tacoma in order to replace a seemingly injured Rafael Soriano. When O'Flaherty arrived, Soriano convinced coaches he was healthy enough to remain on the Mariners' roster, so O'Flaherty was sidelined out of uniform for the rest of the night. The next day, however, infielder/outfielder Greg Dobbs was returned to the AAA league, allowing O'Flaherty to pitch his first major league game.

[edit] Road to the Mariners

O'Flaherty was drafted out of high school by the Seattle Mariners in the sixth round of the 2003 draft. He was the 176th pick overall. As a senior at Walla Walla High School, he had a 5-2 record, an ERA of 1.99, and 83 strikeouts. He earned Pitcher of the Year honors in the Big Nine Conference.

O'Flaherty quickly made his way through the Mariners' minor league affiliate teams. He started 2006 with the Class A Inland Empire 66ers where he had a 3.45 ERA and struck out 33 batters in 16 relief appearances. On May 27, he moved to the AA San Antonio Missions where he had a record of 2-2 with an ERA of 1.14 and seven saves in 25 games. He moved again that same season to the AAA Tacoma Rainiers on August 9; he would stay with them until his August 16 appearance with the Mariners. His combined minor league record in 2006 was 3-3 with a 2.01 ERA, eight saves, and 73 strikeouts in 43 games.