Boise Hawks reliever Mike Larson turned in a sterling performance this night in July 1988, The Idaho Statesman wrote.
He went 4.1 innings, while giving up four hits and no runs for the save, The Idaho Statesman wrote.
"It really helps to have a good outing like that," Larson told The Statesman afterward. "Lately I haven't lasted very long, either because of the situation or because I didn't throw well. But this was really good for the confidence."
Larson went on from there to see three pro campaigns, all at short-season. His post-playing career, however, has consisted of watching - and evaluating - player outings as a scout.
Larson's career began in 1988, signed by independent co-op Boise as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Wisconsin. He played high school with Waseca High School in Minnesota.
With Boise that first year, Larson saw 27 relief appearances. He went 0-6, with a 3.18 ERA. That August, he got his team out of a bases-loaded jam, two days after his grandfather's unexpected passing, The Statesman wrote.
"My parents are here and I told my mom that I hoped I could get in and do something good," Larson told The Statesman after that outing. "She encouraged me to go ahead and play."
Larson returned to Boise for 1989. He saw 28 relief appearances that year. He went 1-3, with a 3.79 ERA. For 1990, he moved to short-season co-op Erie. He saw 10 relief appearances there, went 1-2 and had a 14.81 ERA to end his career.
In 2009, Larson was inducted into the Waseca High School Hall of Fame. The announcement noted that soon after playing, he started scouting for Major League Baseball, first amateur and then professional players. His scouting work even took him to the Olympics and World Baseball Classic, doing advance scouting.
Larson explained his work to The St. Cloud Times in April 2000.
"We'll look at health history, signability information and we film players on a DVD disc and distribute it to all the clubs," Larson told The Times. "You look at their body and try to decide what a player's projectable frame will be down the road."
- Idaho Statesman, July 27, 1988: Hawks
- Idaho Statesman, Aug. 29, 1988: Hawks shut down Everett in 8th to preserve victory
- St. Cloud Times, April 25, 2000: Scouts dig for new diamonds
- Waseca High School Hall of Fame: Mike Larson
Made the Majors:1,385-32.6%
Never Made Majors:2,859-67.4%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:562
10+ Seasons in the Minors:346
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