Eric Corbell got stronger, saw two seasons, rookie ball
Kingston Mets starter Eric Corbell got in trouble early in this August 1991 game, as in down 9-0 by the end of the third, The Kingsport Times-News wrote.
But he stayed in there, enough so that his team almost mounted an improbable comeback and his effort didn't go unnoticed, The Times-News wrote.
"We played pretty well later on, but it's hard to come back from a 9-0 deficit," Kingsport manager Andre David told The Times-News afterward. "But they didn't let up. There was no problem with our intensity. Corbell got stronger."
Corbell pitched that game in his second season as a pro. It also marked his last. He pitched both seasons in rookie ball.
Corbell's career began in 1990, taken by the Mets in the 16th round of the draft out of the University of the Incarnate Word in Texas.
At Incarnate Word, Corbell sat out 1988, but returned in 1989 to find success, according to The San Antonio Express-News.
"Our pitching is deeper and a lot better," Incarnate Word coach Jim Ellwanger told The Express-News that March. "The return of Eric Corbell has really helped. He's throwing a lot better."
Corbell started with the Mets in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He saw 17 outings, three starts and went 1-3, with a 2.02 ERA. He also saved four.
He then moved to rookie Kingsport for 1991. He saw 16 outings, four starts and went 1-4, with a 6.37 ERA to mark the extent of his career.
- San Antonio Express-News, March 23, 1989: Maturity a factor for IWC
- Kingsport Times-News, Aug. 25, 1991: K-Mets come up short
Made the Majors:1,468-31.8%
Never Made Majors:3,154-68.2%-X