Porter recalls Major League debut 15 years ago

BALTIMORE -- Friday marked the 15th anniversary of Astros manager Bo Porter's Major League debut, which came on May 9, 1999 for the Cubs against the Reds at Cinergy Field. Danny Graves struck him out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth.

Porter recalls the day vividly. He said he was in Triple-A with the Cubs, where he was sitting out a rain delay on May 8 of that year. He was hitting in the cage with teammate Derrick White and was ready to go back to his locker when Iowa manager Terry Kennedy told Porter not to go.

"He goes, 'You've been scratched,'" Porter said. "I'm saying, 'Scratched? Time out.' That's when Derrick White was in there and he said, 'I think Lance Johnson just got hurt.' He said, 'Dude, you're going to the big leagues.'"

Sure enough, Kennedy pulled Porter into his office moments later and gave him the news. Porter went back to his apartment in Des Moines and packed up his things to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Cincinnati for an afternoon game.

"You're never tired when you get to the big leagues," Porter said. "I probably had three hours of sleep, but it didn't matter."

Porter played parts of three seasons in the Major Leagues, hitting .214 with two homers and eight RBIs in 89 games with the Cubs, A's and Rangers.