Joe Saunders was not the most likely candidate to start the 2012 American League Wild Card Game for the Baltimore Orioles. He was 9-13 with a combined 4.07 ERA between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Orioles that season. But it proved to be the most meaningful moment of a 10-year career that included multiple trips to the postseason.
"Honestly, it's got to be [at the] top of the list," Saunders said in an interview on Glenn Clark Radio Oct. 4. "It was an amazing night, and it was pretty special being traded over to my hometown team and then getting the opportunity to pitch in that game -- for [Orioles manager] Buck [Showalter] to have the confidence in me to go out there and do the job."
The Northern Virginia native was excellent that night, allowing one run through 5.2 innings, as the Orioles beat the Rangers, 5-1. Now, as the Birds prepare to face the Blue Jays in their second Wild Card Game Oct. 4, Saunders has an idea of what kind of nerves Orioles starting pitcher Chris Tillman must be experiencing. He went through an emotional whirlwind before starting the one-game playoff.
