ST. LOUIS — Mitch Harris was 29 years old when he threw his first pitch in a major league game. It was two weeks ago in Milwaukee, and he was stepping into an emergency. The St. Louis Cardinals had just lost their best pitcher, Adam Wainwright, to an Achilles’ injury that would end his season.
“It was definitely bittersweet,” Harris said the other day, by his locker at Busch Stadium. “I’d love to get in the game, but that was the last type of situation I want to come in after.”
Harris is old for a rookie, and uniquely qualified for handling stress.