Minor League Baseball announced Aug. 16 that Augusta GreenJackets right-handed pitcher, Joey Estes, has been named the Pitcher of the Week in the Low-A East League for Aug. 9-15.
Estes made one start on Saturday, Aug. 14th and went the distance, allowing only two runs and striking out 14.
Estes’s mom threw out the first pitch. It was the first time his family had seen him throw professionally after he played in the Gulf Coast League in 2019.
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“It was by far the craziest moment of my baseball career,” Estes said. “Today’s the off-day, and it’s still crazy. I remember it, but I kind of blacked out. It was a great moment for me and my family. First person I got to see after the game was my mom. It was a surreal moment for me.”
Estes’s mom, dad, brother, grandparents and his best friend’s mom were in the building.
It was the first complete game of his pro career and just one of seven complete games in Minor League Baseball this season.
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The right-hander fed off the SRP Park crowd especially when GreenJackets Manager Michael Saunders nearly pulled Estes in the ninth inning.
“It was electric. After he walked back, I could feel the whole stadium,” Estes said. “Even when he was walking out, I heard all the boos and the ‘nos’. I felt it all. I love the fans. It’s a great experience. I’m really blessed.”
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He is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.73 in nine starts this year at SRP Park. This season, Estes leads the Low-A East in ERA (2.69), strikeouts (116), and WHIP (0.97). Saturday was the second win of his professional career.
Estes was a 16th round selection by the Atlanta Braves in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Paraclete High School in Lancaster, Calif.
The GreenJackets next homestand starts Tuesday, Aug. 24 against the Charleston RiverDogs.
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