It all happened fast. Tyler Cloyd was with the Tacoma Rainiers in Fresno, Calif., on Thursday for the start of a four-game series. He had just finished throwing a bullpen session when Pat Listach, the Class AAA team’s manager, told him the news. The Mariners had called him up.
Four weeks ago, Cloyd wasn’t even part of the Mariners organization. He was playing for an independent team, the Somerset Patriots, in New Jersey. After a month there, he spent 21 days with Tacoma before earning a spot on the Mariners roster. It’s the first time he’s been part of a major-league team since 2013, when he was with the Phillies.