A 12:37 p.m. start time for his big-league debut suits Toronto Blue Jays prospect Zach Stewart just fine.
The highly-touted Blue Jays pitching prospect takes to the mound Thursday at Rogers Centre as the Blue Jays go for a three-game series sweep over the Balitmore Orioles.
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"I’m happy that I have less time," he said in the Jays clubhouse after Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Orioles. "I don’t know what my routine is going to be, I probably should have had that planned out. I’ll just, I guess, do what I normally do as far as going into a start except for this is obviously a bigger stage. Other than that I’m going to try and keep it simple."
Stewart learned of his promotion from double-A New Hampshire on Tuesday but only made it to the Blue Jays clubhouse around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday. He’s replacing close friend Kyle Drabek in the rotation after the right-hander was sent down to triple-A Las Vegas.
“He called me (Tuesday) and told me congratulations," said Stewart. "He told me he was happy for me, I told him that obviously I wish it was under different circumstances, but he was awesome about it, he said don’t even worry about it, you deserve to be here, just go out and play.
"I told him you’re a hell of a player, don’t worry about it, things happen, you’ll be right back here in no time. He seemed to be in good spirits about it and he was cool talking to me. He actually called me which was cool."
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Stewart has a tough act to follow after Ricky Romero’s gem, but he just wants to pitch his game. He’ll face Orioles ace Jeremy Guthrie (2-8, 3.77).
"Very excited," he said. "This is obviously a dream come true since I was a kid, always wanting to do this. Getting the opportunity is awesome."
Stewart was acquired in the August 2009 trade that sent Scott Rolen to the Cincinnati Reds.
Following the end of the 2009 season, Baseball America ranked Stewart as the No. 1 prospect in the Jays’ system but despite continuing to perform throughout 2010 and through the early stages this season, he remained at double-A prompting him to wonder when he’d get the call.
"You hope they promote you," Stewart told the Toronto Sun on June 1. "But if you think about it too long, it can drive you crazy."
Now that he’s here, the 2008, third-round pick will have to perform if he hopes to stay, what with Jesse Litsch scheduled to pitch in a rehab start with single-A Lansing on June 18, and lefties Brett Cecil and Brad Mills also pushing for promotion in Vegas.
