Hometown boy heads back to World Series

[Comment Below]

By Joshua Davidson

You can look as hard as you want across the World Series' rosters and you won't find a single former LSU Tiger on there. What you might not realize, though, is that one Philadelphia Phillies was as close as any in becoming a Tiger before deciding to forfeit a college career and head straight to the big leagues.

Baton Rouge native and Woodlawn High School alum, Chad Durbin, decided to back out of his prior commitment to LSU in the Spring of 1996 and choose instead to enter the MLB amateur draft where he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the third round.

Durbin's career was a bit bumpy at first and moved around to three different teams after the Royals before finally finding a home with the Phillies on December 20, 2007.

Since, Durbin helped the Phillies to a World Series title in 2008 and now finds himself again in the hunt for another title after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

Durbin's statistics might not be as eye popping as those of teammates Ryan Howard or Chase Utley, but the relief pitcher brings his A-game each time his team calls his name to do the dirty work, whether it's getting Manny Ramirez to ground out or it to get the team out of a tough jam with runners on second and third.

To this point in the postseason Durbin hasn't allowed a run in five appearances and hasn't allowed a run overall since September 19th against Atlanta. Durbin has been one of the only bright spots for a Phillies' bullpen that has struggled for a good portion of the season and it has been him the team has relied on in tough situations.

The transition to the Majors hasn't been a smooth one for the Baton Rouge native since his MLB debut September 26, 1999, but Durbin has been able to claw his way out of the unknown into a solid commodity for a defending champion ballclub.

Durbin has only started at least 16 games in a season three times in his career, with an overall win-loss record of 32-43 but its been his resiliency and dedication that he found his way on the Phillies in 2008 and found a home for a solid ball club. In his 156.4 innings with the Phillies over the last two years, Durbin has posted an earned run average around three and a half while going 7-6 with three saves and 125 strikeouts.

LSU could've really used Durbin's arm in the mid-90's to add to some championship teams but Durbin has quietly made a name for himself over the last 10 years, and has his hometown cheering him on as he fights for a second straight World Series title.

Originally Published: Issue 821 - October 28, 2009

Share on Facebook

Back to the top