MEET GENO ESPINELI

courtesy of minorleaguebaseball.com

The Geno Espineli (left-handed reliever) - Filipino - will be pitching for the San Francisco Giants after getting a call-up...

The 25-year-old pitcher is 6-foot-4 and looks as though he should throw 95 mph. Actually, he throws 85 but is deceptive and relies on a changeup he learned by trying the grip he saw on the back of a baseball card when he was a kid. Obviously, it works. Espineli was 1-1 with a 2.06 ERA in 34 games for Fresno. Equally impressive were six walks against 43 strikeouts.

Espineli has had a whirlwind couple of weeks, first pitching for the victorious Pacific Coast League in the Triple-A All-Star Game, then being named to the Olympic team before getting his first big-league call. It is unclear whether he still will go to Beijing next month.

Espineli believes he is the first full-blooded Filipino to pitch in the majors. With a 1-2-3 inning Sunday, including a strikeout of his first hitter, Mike Cameron, he became the 12th Giant to make his major-league debut in 2008. Espineli also becomes one of four rookies in the seven-man bullpen. He also becomes the 15th home-grown player on the 25-man roster.

Source

Good luck to him! I know another Filipino who once played in the Majors - Benny Agbayani from Hawaii. I think he is now plying his trade in Japan.

This is such a great news esp. to a sports fan like me.