For the first time in their respective Major League careers, Kyle Garlick and Cole Irvin made an opening day roster this year, just one of many reasons neither Oregon baseball alum will ever forget this strangest of seasons in The Show.
When this season began, Irvin and Garlick were lockering next to each other with the Philadelphia Phillies, albeit with a 10-foot gap between stalls due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Irvin made his season debut on July 26, suffered a loss that had him eager to get back on the mound as soon as possible, then had to endure a nine-day wait along with Garlick and the rest of his teammates while the Phillies were quarantined because of their exposure to opening-series opponent Miami, which suffered an outbreak of COVID-19 on its roster in the wake of the series.