Chase Field debut thrills area-native Brewer

PHOENIX -- A native of Paradise Valley, a Phoenix suburb, D-backs right-hander Charles Brewer knew making his Chase Field debut would be special. But after already appearing in two Major League games beforehand, he thought the moment would lose some of its charm.

He was wrong.

"It was even more exciting than I thought it'd be," Brewer said. "I had pitched in Los Angeles in front of 40,000 fans and in San Diego with a ton of fans, but last night I had even more excitement than my Major League debut. There's just something special about making your home debut. All the fans got loud when I was announced, it was pretty awesome."

Brewer, who threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings on the road in his first stint with the D-backs in mid-June but was optioned back to the Minors before the club returned home, worked a clean ninth inning Saturday night against the Rockies, allowing one hit and striking out a batter.

"I've been coming to this field since 1998 when I was a kid," he said. "I was always in the stands as a spectator but now I'm on the field playing for a first-place team. It's an amazing feeling, you can't match it."

So with his childhood home a mere half-hour away, just how many friends and family members did Brewer have at the game?

"I don't even know," he said. "I've been in the bullpen and a ton of random people have come to say hi, just screaming out my name. It's been really cool. There's been a lot."