The crack of the bat, the smell of the grass, the roar of the crowd: all things a kid dreams about ever since his earliest days in Little League.
For one former Sun Devil, that dream finally came true Saturday.
All-American Willie Bloomquist, a shortstop and outfielder who played at ASU from 1997-99, was called up from the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers to join the Seattle Mariners as part of the September roster expansion.
Bloomquist hit .270 (91-for-337) with six home runs and 14 doubles in 104 games for Tacoma. He displayed versatility by starting 30 games at second base, 25 at third base, 19 at shortstop and 39 in the outfield. But even more impressive was the resiliency he showed as the season progressed.
"Earlier in the year, he was struggling, banged up and hitting about .180," ASU assistant coach Mike Rooney said. "The Mariners brought him up because of his mental toughness and how he turned his year around from hitting .180 to .270 in a month. He's a fierce competitor and he's fearless."
The speedy Bloomquist, who ranks fourth in school history with 72 stolen bases, made his big-league debut Sunday against the Kansas City Royals as a pinch-runner for designated hitter Edgar Martinez in the bottom of the eighth inning. However, Bloomquist couldn't advance as center fielder Mike Cameron struck out to end the threat.
Bloomquist did not play Monday. The Mariners were idle Tuesday.
"Our whole program is proud and excited," Rooney said. "He's a super human being and a great kid."
Bloomquist, a native of Port Orchard, Wash., had a stellar career at ASU, earning All-Pac-10 honors in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He ranks third in Sun Devil history with a .394 career batting average, fourth with 216 runs scored, third with 22 triples and ninth with 176 RBI.
Bloomquist accumulated a .414 batting average in 1998 to propel ASU to an appearance in the College World Series championship game. He also was a member of the USA Baseball National Team that same year.
"Any pressure situations help him," Rooney said. "You look at the pros, and there are a ton of Pac-10 players and college kids. It's a great preparation for baseball."
Bloomquist, a third-round selection of the Mariners in 1999, became the 76th Sun Devil to play in the major leagues. He joins a list of current players that includes Barry Bonds, Fernando Vina, Jacob Cruz, Sean Lowe, Mike Benjamin, Doug Henry and Paul Lo Duca, among others.
In his first professional season, Bloomquist was named a minor league all-star. Three years later, he advanced to the Triple-A level.
He will now try to help push the Mariners (81-57) into the playoffs during a heated pennant race in the American League West. Seattle stands six games behind the Oakland Athletics in the division standings and is two in back of the Anaheim Angels for the Wild Card spot.
"I couldn't be happier for such a wonderful person and such a hard worker," ASU head coach Pat Murphy said. "Willie plays the game the way it is meant to be played — hard all the time. He gave our program a lot in the three years he was here, and continues to pass on his legacy to our current players."
Reach the reporter at casey.pritchard@asu.edu.
