Christopher Lee Heston (born April 10, 1988) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

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 ...

. He played college baseball for

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university, public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a Normal school, teacher training school, East ...

and played in

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), ...

(MLB) for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

, the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

and 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 ...

. On June 9, 2015, he threw the 17th no-hitter in Giants franchise history.

Early life

Heston graduated from Bayside High School in

Palm Bay, Florida Palm Bay is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The city's population was 119,760 at th2020 United States Census making it the most populous city in the county and the largest by land mass. The historic section of the city lies on the ...

. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for two years at

Seminole Community College Seminole State College of Florida is a public college with four campuses in Central Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. Founded in 1965, the Florida Legislature, Florida State Legislature signed a charter creating "Seminole Juni ...

Professional career

Drafts and minor leagues

He was drafted by the

in the 47th round of the

2007 Major League Baseball Draft The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players and was held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the f ...

but did not sign with the team. In

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

drafted Heston in the 29th round, but he again did not sign and attended

. He was then drafted a third time, by the

in the 12th round in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, and signed. Heston's professional career got off to a rocky start with a 1–5 record and 4.11 ERA in the rookie

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it f ...

in 2009. In 2010, he finished 5–13 with a 3.75 ERA with the Single-A

Augusta GreenJackets The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina, which opened in April 2018. They previous ...

. With the Class A-Advanced

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants ga ...

in 2011, he improved to 12–4 with a 3.16 ERA and 131 strikeouts. With the Double-A

Richmond Flying Squirrels The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. Th ...

in 2012, he finished 9–8 with a 2.24 ERA, the second-lowest ERA in Flying Squirrels' franchise history. He earned a spot in the Eastern League All-Star Game and was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year. Heston was added to the Giants' 40-man roster on November 20, 2012. He was optioned to AAA

Fresno Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

on March 2, 2013, and struggled to a 7–6 record and 5.80 ERA. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on July 13 to clear a roster spot for

Jeff Francoeur Jeffrey Braden Francoeur (; born January 8, 1984), nicknamed "Frenchy", is an American former professional baseball right fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals ...

and released on July 21. He was re-signed by the Giants to a minor league contract on July 24. In 2014, Heston improved to 12–9 with a 3.38 ERA in Fresno and was re-added to the 40-man roster in September 2014.

San Francisco Giants (2014–2016)

2014

Heston made his Major League debut with the

on September 13, 2014, in the ninth inning against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

where he pitched a scoreless inning. He eventually appeared in three games, including one start, and pitched five and one-third innings with a 5.06 ERA. The Giants clinched a wild card spot with an 88–74 record and eventually won the

2014 World Series The 2014 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2014 season. The 110th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and the Ameri ...

, their third championship in five seasons. Heston did not participate in any postseason activity but received his first championship ring for his regular season contributions.

2015

Heston was slated to start the 2015 season in AAA

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, but was called up on April 7 to replace the injured

Matt Cain Matthew Thomas Cain (born October 1, 1984), nicknamed "The Horse", "Big Daddy", "Big Sugar" and "Cainer", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the San Francisco Giants ...

. He got his first MLB win in his second start for the Giants on April 8, 2015, defeating the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

5–2 and throwing 6 innings. Heston gave up two runs, neither earned, but had five strikeouts gaining the win. On May 12, 2015, Heston pitched a complete game against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

, allowing only two hits and one run, with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Heston was the first Giants rookie to throw a complete game with at least 10 strikeouts since Roger Mason on October 4, 1985, and the first Giants rookie with double-digit strikeouts since

Tim Lincecum Timothy Leroy Lincecum ( ; born June 15, 1984), nicknamed "The Freak", "The Franchise", "The Freaky Franchise" and "Big Time Timmy Jim", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San ...

on July 1, 2007. On June 9, 2015, Heston

no-hit In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

5–0 at

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...

, becoming the 22nd rookie pitcher since 1900 to throw a no-hitter in a major-league regular-season game. He struck out 11 and walked none; the only 3 runners to reach base were

hit by a pitch In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...

. Heston closed his no-hitter with three strikeouts in the 9th inning, a feat last accomplished by

Sandy Koufax Sanford Koufax (; born Sanford Braun; December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. He has been hailed as one of t ...

in his perfect game in 1965 against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. He also became the first pitcher to no-hit the Mets in a Mets' home game since

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Bob Moose Robert Ralph Moose Jr. (October 9, 1947 – October 9, 1976) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates from through . Moose was a memb ...

no-hit them at

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.RBIs A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

with a two-run single. For his efforts, Heston was honored with his first career National League Player of the Week Award as well as the key to the city by the mayor of Palm Bay, Florida. On July 23, 2015, Heston carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

, ultimately allowing only one hit and no runs in 7 innings pitched. The 9–3 victory over the Padres was Heston's 10th win, making him the first Giants rookie to reach 10 wins since Matt Cain in 2006. Heston was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on August 21, 2015, to make room for recently acquired outfielder

Marlon Byrd Marlon Jerrard Byrd (born August 30, 1977) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, New Yo ...

. Later on August 28, 2015, he was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento since Matt Cain was placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

. Heston finished the season with a 12–11 record, 3.95 ERA, and 141 strikeouts in 177 innings pitched. In 2015 he shared the major league lead in

hit batsmen In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...

, with 13.

2016

Heston started the 2016 season in the Giants' bullpen. He was optioned down to Triple-A after four appearances, and spent the rest of the season in the minors or on the disabled list.

Seattle Mariners (2017)

On December 7, 2016, Heston was traded to the

for a player to be named later.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On May 26, 2017, he was claimed off waivers by the

Minnesota Twins (2017)

Heston was claimed off waivers by the

on June 7, 2017. He was outrighted to AAA on June 16, 2017, when they purchased the contract of

Adam Wilk Adam Robert Wilk (born December 9, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles of Anaheim, New York Mets, and Minnesota Twins as well as in th ...

. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

San Francisco Giants

On January 24, 2018, Heston signed a minor league contract to return to the

. He was released by the organization on July 27, 2018.

Personal life

Heston is currently a real estate agent in

Melbourne, Florida Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...

References

External links

East Carolina Pirates bio
* : {{DEFAULTSORT:Heston, Chris 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Sanford, Florida People from Palm Bay, Florida Baseball players from Florida Major League Baseball pitchers San Francisco Giants players Seattle Mariners players Minnesota Twins players Seminole State Raiders baseball players East Carolina Pirates baseball players Arizona League Giants players Augusta GreenJackets players San Jose Giants players Richmond Flying Squirrels players Fresno Grizzlies players Sacramento River Cats players Tacoma Rainiers players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Rochester Red Wings players