Perdomo paying it forward to Rule 5 players

Luis Perdomo strikes out Eric Young Jr. swinging to record the second out of the top of the 3rd inningA year ago, Perdomo was a wide-eyed Rule 5 rookie who had never pitched above Class A Advanced. Padres manager Andy Green threw him right into the fire, and Perdomo was grossly overmatched. In an inning-plus, he allowed six runs on six hits and a pair of walks.

A year later, Perdomo is the starter for the Padres' home opener. And, in Green's words, "he flat-out earned it."

Last May, Perdomo developed a sinker, and used the pitch to become an effective Major League pitcher. He led the National League with a 59 percent groundball rate, and by season's end, he was arguably the most reliable…