No. 13 proved to be not unlucky for Rams baseball star
Mike Mathews
Cumberland Times-News
OAKLAND — Chalk up another first for New York Mets pitcher Tobi Stoner.
Friday night Stoner, the first Southern Garrett High baseball player to reach the Major Leagues, became the first Rams baseball player to have his uniform number retired. The ceremony was held prior to the Northern-Southern boys basketball game.
Jim Bosley, Stoner’s head coach at Southern, presented the right-hander with the No. 13 jersey he wore during his high school career. Stoner’s No. 13 Southern jersey and his No. 29 New York Mets jersey will be displayed in the gymnasium lobby.
Stoner, 25, graduated from Southern in 2002 and was an All-Area pitcher and infielder. He led the Rams to an Area championship and a 43-3 overall record in his two seasons, and was one of the state’s top junior college players at Garrett before transferring to Davis & Elkins College. He was 15-9 with a 2.68 earned run average in two seasons for the Senators, and batted .465 as a senior.
Stoner, the first Davis & Elkins player and the second Garrett College player to reach the Majors, was selected by the Mets in the 16th round of the 2006 draft.
His quick rise through the minor leagues led to a call-up to the Mets last fall. He made four appearances, all in relief, including a scoreless inning in his debut against the Florida Marlins on Sept. 10. He also had 3-inning stints against Philadelphia and Atlanta, and pitched two hitless innings in his final appearance against the Braves.
Stoner finished 0-0 with nine innings pitched, five strikeouts and a 4.00 ERA during his time with the Mets.
The Major League promotion capped an impressive year for Stoner. Used exclusively as a starting pitcher, he began at Double-A Binghamton and was 2-2 with a 2.68 ERA before moving to Triple-A Buffalo, where he was 7-7 with a 3.96 ERA in just under 100 innings pitched.
In the two minor league stops, Stoner pitched 144 2-3 innings, allowed only 120 hits, walked 47 and struck out 92. Hitters managed just a .224 average against him.
After the Major League season Stoner played for Escogido in the Dominican Winter League and was 4-2 with a 3.10 ERA in nine starts.
Also taking part in the ceremony last night were Matt Wondolowsky, the Mets scout who signed Stoner; high school coaches Bosley, Danny Holler and Steve Weaver; Ed Wildesen, Stoner’s coach at Garrett College; and Phil Carr, who coached Stoner on the Garrett County American Legion team.
Stoner will be a guest speaker at the 62nd Dapper Dan Awards Banquet on Sunday, Jan. 31, at the Ali Ghan Shrine Club. The dinner starts at 4 p.m. For ticket information, call The Original Sports Shoppe at (301) 722-5490.
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