Call-up for Merced’s Gamboa is short but memorable

For two days, Eddie Gamboa was able to live out a dream as a Major League Baseball player.

The former Merced High School star recently was called up as an emergency arm by the Baltimore Orioles. For Gamboa, 30, who is in his eighth season of professional baseball, it was his first time with the big club.

Gamboa said everything happened so fast he wasn’t able to call anyone or fly anybody from home to Baltimore. As soon as he heard the news, he packed his gear, headed home from the ballpark in Norfolk, Va., to pack clothes, grabbed a taxi and headed to the airport.

Gamboa arrived at Camden Yards in Baltimore around the fifth inning of the Orioles’ game against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 11. The Orioles had placed pitcher Wesley Wright on the disabled list and needed pitchers.

“It was nerve-wracking,” Gamboa said. “I knew I was an extra arm, and I was only going to pitch if it was a blowout game or if it went extra innings. But when we went down big early that second day and our starter only pitched three innings, I got nervous. Every time the phone rang, my heart started racing. The phone rings all the time.”

Gamboa didn’t get into a game during his two days in Baltimore. That Monday, the Orioles sent him back to Norfolk so he could make his scheduled start for the Tides.

“I’ve been with the Orioles since 2008. I know everyone up there,” Gamboa said. “I’ve been to spring training with them. The guys knew it was my first time up there, and they made me feel at home. They didn’t make me carry bags or anything like that.

“The coolest part of the experience was walking out with the guys to the bullpen together. I got to talk to Darren O’Day. He’s a right-arm, sidearm pitcher. We talked about being different, unique pitchers. He talked about the obstacles he had to overcome, and I was able to pick his brain a bit.”

Gamboa, who is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three starts for Norfolk this season, knows his path back to Baltimore is his knuckleball. He’s spent the last two years transforming himself into a knuckleball pitcher. He now throws the pitch 80 percent of the time.

The transition hasn’t been easy for Gamboa, who hates walking batters.

“I hate letting people on base, but walks and wild pitches come with the knuckleball,” Gamboa said. “I know what the Orioles want, and I know that’s my best way of getting up there. I’ve fully committed to becoming a knuckleballer, and I think the call-up was a reward for all the hard work.”

The call-up also was another sign the Orioles stand behind Gamboa after he was suspended 50 games without pay last June for testing positive for exogenous testosterone, which is a performance-enhancing substance and a violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Gamboa claims the failed test was a result of a prescription he was taking for a thyroid problem.

“When I lost my appeal, I knew how it would look,” he said. “I definitely didn’t feel like I was cheating. I was doing something for my health. I wasn’t looking for an advantage. I’m a knuckleball pitcher. It didn’t make any sense.”

During his suspension, Gamboa continued to work out and throw, away from the team.

“It was a big thing to swallow, especially knowing I wasn’t trying to do anything wrong,” Gamboa said. “I just had to accept it. My name was on the radar to go up last June, and instead, I get a 50-game suspension. I felt I was back at the bottom.”

Now his career is back on track, and his recent two-day trip to Baltimore has made him hungry to get back.

“I was there as a just-in-case arm,” he said. “I didn’t care. They could call me up to get water for everyone if they want.”

This story was originally published April 24, 2015 at 10:46 PM with the headline "Call-up for Merced’s Gamboa is short but memorable."