CINCINNATI —
Eric Yardley is the story.
The call that the 29-year-old reliever received Tuesday telling him he was being promoted to the major leagues is why a man hangs on through the poor pay and the bus rides and the doubts.
“It’s everything I ever could have imagined it to be,” Yardley said Wednesday after the Padres selected his contract from Triple-A El Paso. “It was a long journey. I can’t really put it into words.”
Yardley, who turned 29 on Sunday, is in his seventh season of professional baseball and will make his major league debut when he pitches for the Padres.