Former Big Train star made big league debut Friday night

No doubt John Maine (Big Train 2000) fought the pregame jitters before making his Major League debut Friday night for the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. But he also had to fight through steady rainshowers and a tough Minnesota Twins lineup when he took the hill as the O's starting pitcher.

This time four years ago, Maine was used to climbing the pitcher's mound at Povich Field in front of the Bethesda faithful. Now, after rising quickly through the Orioles farm system and being named the 2003 Orioles Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Maine found himself on a much bigger stage: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, in front of 34,874 fans. In so doing, Maine set a precedent for his fans back in Bethesda, as he became the first Big Train alum to reach the Major Leagues.

Big Train General Manager Alex Thompson and Student Leadership Committee Members Emily Adams and Jeff Finkelstein made the trip to Baltimore to see John reach his personal milestone. After breezing through the first inning in three-up-three-down fashion, Maine struggled in the next two and two-thirds and was relieved in the fourth by John Parrish. At the end of the night, however, his pitching line pales in comparison to the tremendous pride that the Big Train family feels for his accomplishment.