Fetters pitching again after surgery
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Some 10 months after Tommy John elbow surgery, Iolani School graduate Mike Fetters made his 2004 debut by pitching an inning of relief last night for the Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders of the Pacific Coast League.
Advertiser library photo
Fetters, 39, allowed a run on three hits with one strikeout in Tucson's 5-4 win against Edmonton at Tucson Electric Park, which is about a 75-minute drive from his home in Chandler, Ariz. He did not figure in the decision.
Iolani grad Mike Fetters, in his 19th season as a pro, pitched an inning of relief for Triple-A Tucson last night.
He agreed to terms with the parent Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, passed his physical Monday and didn't even pitch in pregame warmups before being summoned for relief.
"I don't plan to be here very long," Fetters said last night in a telephone interview. "They (the Diamondbacks) need pitching help. All I have to do is let them know when I'm ready."
The right-hander is in his 19th season of pro ball since signing out of Pepperdine as the 26th overall player taken in the June 1986 draft. An elbow injury limited Fetters to five appearances last year with the Minnesota Twins. In October, he was granted free agency. He said Arizona has until July 25 to promote him, otherwise he becomes a free agent again.
"I'll keep pitching until the hitters start dictating that I can't," Fetters said.
Fetters pitched for Arizona in the 2002 season after he was traded from Pittsburgh.
Fetters said his elbow felt fine and was told his fastball was in the 88- to 92-mph range. He said he was surprised at how well he recovered from the surgery, which commonly requires at least a year for recovery.
Fetters helped coach basketball at Hamilton High in Chandler, where his son Bryant attends school. The team came here in December for the Iolani Classic. Fetters was The Advertiser's 1983 Player of the Year in basketball for the Raiders' first state championship team.
With the signing, Fetters joined another Iolani graduate — infielder Keoni DeRenne. DeRenne, The Advertiser's 1997 Player of the Year in baseball, batted leadoff last night, going 3 for 4 with two doubles to lift his season batting average to .284.
Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.
