Thomas Aaron Shearn (born August 28, 1977) is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. Shearn, who spent 11 years in the minor leagues, made his big league debut for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

on August 26, , in a game in which he started for the Reds against the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

. Before being called up, Shearn was living out of the groundskeeper's trailer at the stadium of the Reds'

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

affiliate. Shearn had driven in his trailer from

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, to get to the game, as he was supposed to start that day for the Reds' AAA affiliate, the

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...

. He made two more starts for the Reds in September, the best one coming in a 7–0 win over the Mets on September 5, 2007. In that game he threw six scoreless innings, striking out three and surrendering three hits. Shearn is famously quoted as saying, "Tom Shearn is only one man". On May 30, 2008, the Reds sold his contract to the

Samsung Lions The Samsung Lions () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in the southeastern city of Daegu and are members of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Daegu Samsung Lions Park. They have won the Korean Champ ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

. Shearn was signed by the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

to a minor league contract on July 28 and he played for the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

, the Twins' Triple-A affiliate, for the rest of the year.

References

External links

Korea Baseball OrganizationVenezuelan Professional Baseball LeagueDeadSpin (Story)
1977 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Auburn Doubledays players Baseball players from Columbus, Ohio Chattanooga Lookouts players Cincinnati Reds players Gulf Coast Astros players KBO League pitchers Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Mayos de Navojoa players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico New Orleans Zephyrs players Quad Cities River Bandits players Rochester Red Wings players Round Rock Express players Samsung Lions players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1970s-stub