Niehaus: "Mark Lowe is Fastest Mariner Pitcher Ever"

This is Mariner pitcher Mark Lowe. In April, while you were living in the same city you are now, working the same job, Lowe was in Lancaster, California, pitching for the Inland Empire 66ers of the California League, against such baseball powerhouses as the Modesto Nuts.

After 13 games, he moved up to AA San Antonio. After 11 games there, he moved to the bigs.

That's like getting promoted from Executive Assistant to the Director of Marketing to Confidential Secretary to the V-P of Sales in three months!

And here in the bigs, Lowe has been incredible. He's pitched 12.2 innings over 10 games and hasn't allowed a run. He's walked 4 guys but struck out 15.

Yesterday afternoon, Lowe struck out Ramon Hernandez on a pitch that the Camden Yards radar gun recorded at 102 mph. Dave Niehaus, doing the radio broadcast, said it was "the fastest he'd ever seen a Mariner throw." And considering he saw the 1992 Dave Fleming, that's high praise indeed.