Sports
From Atholton High to the Major Leagues
Former Raiders' standout Steve Lombardozzi joins the Washington Nationals after promotion from Class AAA Syracuse.
Steve Lombardozzi is usually a calm customer on the baseball field, handling 90 mile-per-hour fastballs from opposing pitchers and hard-hit groundballs as a second baseman with equal ability.
But the graduate appeared a little out of his comfort zone Tuesday afternoon, as the mild-mannered Fulton product talked about his first-ever promotion to the Major Leagues with the Washington Nationals.
"I wanted to play in the big leagues (while at Atholton). To be so close to home is surreal," Lombardozzi told Columbia Patch prior to Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Nationals Park.
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About two hours later, at about 5:40 p.m., the Nationals officially added Lombardozzi to the 40-man roster. He was drafted by the Nationals out of St. Petersburg Junior College in 2008.
A switch-hitting infielder, Lombardozzi ended his minor league season late Monday afternoon with the Class AAA Syracuse Chiefs of the International League. After the game Syracuse manager Randy Knorr told him he was being promoted to the Nationals.
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"He kept it short and sweet. He wanted to get out of there" since the season was over, Lombardozzi said of Knorr. "He told me I was going up."
Lombardozzi drove from Syracuse and spent the night at his father's place in Fulton on Monday night. The elder Lombardozzi, also named Steve, was the starting second baseman for Minnesota when the Twins won the World Series in 1987.
The younger Lombardozzi left Howard County Tuesday afternoon and arrived at Nationals Park around 2 p.m. One of the first people he met was Washington manager Davey Johnson, a former second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles.
"He told me he would put me in there. I don't know how much I will play. I will probably play some at second base," Lombardozzi said.
"I look forward to watching him play," Johnson told the Nats' radio network before Tuesday's game.
Lombardozzi hit .309 with 25 doubles, nine triples, eight home runs, 52 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 134 games this season with Syracuse and Harrisburg.
"He is a great hitter and he works hard. He can definitely play some second base," said pitcher Brad Peacock, who was also promoted from Syracuse to Washington before Tuesday's game.
Johnson said he would give Lombardozzi a day or two off before sending him out for his big league debut.
