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Stephen Cardullo’s independent baseball path reaches major leagues

WASHINGTON — When Stephen Cardullo took the field at Nationals Park on Friday, in the line-drive path of reigning MVP Bryce Harper, he might as well have been a million miles from his baseball past.

The 28-year-old Cardullo, who made his major-league debut at first base to open the Rockies’ three-game series against the NL East leaders, earned his promotion by hitting .308 with 17 home runs for Triple-A Albuquerque this season. Before that, though, Cardullo spent the previous four seasons plying his craft in independent leagues, far from the bright lights of the majors. In 2014 and 2015, he played for the Rockland (N.