Adam Pettyjohn to start for Reds after near-death experience

Sunday, the Cincinnati Reds will end their 2008 campaign at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. Adam Pettyjohn will become the first left-handed starter to take the mound for the Reds all year. That, however, is not the real story. Pettyjohn hasn't made a major league start in over seven years and is lucky to be alive. In 2002, Pettyjohn lost 65 pounds in 3 months, his body weight dropped from 200 down to 135 lbs. Before having his colon removed, doctors told him that his body was days from shutting down.

I would love to see Pettyjohn have a good start tomorrow in game #162. I know that things like this don't carry over to next season but I like to think that it's some kind of sign from the baseball Gods that there's something good in store for the 2009 Redlegs.

Read Hal McCoy's post on Pettyjohn - "From Near-death to back on the mound."