All it took was striking out the only batter he faced, but the feat was enough for India-born Rinku Singh to claim his first US professional baseball victory on Monday.
Singh was the winning pitcher of record for the Bradenton Pirates in a 10-5 Gulf Coast League triumph over the Lakeland Tigers.
The level is at the bottom rung of Major League Baseball's developmental ladder, at least three steps below the American pastime's elite, but the achievement was impressive for the India reality show contestant.
Singh and Dinesh Patel each made their US pro debuts July 4 after earning their chance for training on the India reality show "Million-Dollar Arm", which sought to find baseball talent among the young cricket bowlers of India.
Having never before seen a major league game, Singh and Patel won a chance to join the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
Copyright 2009 AFP American Edition
