Komine starts for A’s today

The Kalani alumnus faces Cy Young winner Halladay and the Blue Jays

Shane Komine didn't get the word he would be making his first major league start today for the Oakland Athletics because he had his head in a book.

But it didn't take long for his Sacramento River Cats teammates to get through to the Kalani High alum last Thursday and let him know that his dream was finally coming true.

"It was before a game in New Mexico," Komine said. "It was raining, so we were just playing cards and reading when the manager (Tony DeFrancesco) came in and turned off the TV and said it was too loud and to get to work. Then he told everybody, 'Komine's starting in the big leagues on Sunday.'

"I was in a corner reading a book and not really paying attention, so it didn't register with me until my teammates started coming up to congratulate me."

Komine's first start will come today when he opposes Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, the A.L.'s 2003 Cy Young Award winner. But Komine says it won't be much different from his college days, when he carried Nebraska to its first College World Series in 2001.

"I am just anxious," Komine said. "It is just another start for me even though the Blue Jays have a great team and Halladay is a great pitcher. But I can't control what he does, only what I do."

Although he is trying to tell himself it is nothing out of the ordinary, Komine said he has tried to line up about 30 tickets so that his parents and fiancée, who are flying in from Hawaii, can take in the game, along with a few relatives from the Sacramento area.

Komine has been outstanding in his last six starts for the River Cats, winning all six games, while allowing only two earned runs in 42 2/3 innings.

This was Komine's first season at the Class AAA level, signifying a strong comeback from Tommy John surgery midway through 2004. He missed the first half of the 2005 campaign, but once he was back on the mound, Komine worked his way from rookie ball back up to Class AA by the end of last season.

"About 10 months after the injury I felt like I had it back," Komine said. "The velocity came back first and the control came back not a lot longer. It actually feels better than it did before the injury."

After a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, the Athletics added the 5-foot-9, 175-pound right-hander to their 40-man roster during the winter and invited him to big league camp this past spring.

Komine was optioned to Sacramento to start the season, and there was a period of adjustment to the higher level of competition.

Before starting his six-game winning streak, Komine had a 3-7 record with a 5.79 earned-run average. In 77 1/3 innings, he surrendered 98 hits, yielded 50 earned runs, walked 27 and struck out 63.

Then his performances underwent a dramatic change starting with the June 25 outing against the Salt Lake Bees, a seven-inning, four-hit effort that was the first of six consecutive victories.

"Everything finally started coming together," Komine said. "The velocity, the control, the defense, everything was working for me."

His ERA during the winning streak was 0.42.

Komine was selected in the ninth round by Oakland in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft following his senior season at Nebraska.

He will be the 38th player with a Hawaii connection to play in the major leagues when he makes his first appearance for the Athletics