PITTSBURGH -- This time last year, Jameson Taillon was pitching in his sixth straight tour of the Florida Instructional League, the "chain-link league," so nicknamed for the fences that surround back fields like those behind the Pirates' training complex in Bradenton, Fla.
On Wednesday night, Taillon wrapped up an impressive debut season in the Major Leagues, pitching six innings of one-hit, one-run ball against baseball's best team in the Pirates' 8-4 win over the Cubs at PNC Park.
Taillon, 24, completed a successful season in the Majors despite not pitching in the Minor Leagues the previous two years.