SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Two-time All-Star and 15-year Major League veteran Mike Hampton has been signed to a minor league contract by the Arizona Diamondbacks and today was assigned to the Triple-A Reno Aces, the D-backs and Aces have announced.
Hampton agreed to terms with the Diamondbacks on Saturday and will be in uniform for the Aces in tonight’s 7:05 p.m. game against the Tacoma Rainiers at Aces Ballpark. Hampton is expected to pitch out of the Aces bullpen tonight. Tickets are available now at the Reno Aces box office, by calling (775) 334-7000 or by visiting RenoAces.com<http://renoaces.com/>.
The southpaw is 148-115 in 15 Major League seasons, having played for Seattle, Houston, New York (NL), Colorado and Atlanta. He was selected to two All-Star teams and was the Sporting News’ 1999 National League Pitcher of the Year.
Hampton won five-straight NL Silver Slugger awards from 1997-2003, and in 2003 he became the first pitcher in baseball history to win a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award in the same season.
He has pitched in 11 postseason games in his Major League career, including a start in the 2000 World Series as a member of the New York Mets.
Hampton spent the 2009 season with the Houston Astros (7-10, 5.30 ERA, 21 starts) before undergoing surgery in September on his left shoulder. He missed the 2006 and 2007 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but made 13 starts for the Atlanta Braves in 2008 (3-4, 4.85 ERA).
Hampton was Seattle’s sixth-round pick in the 1990 first-year player draft. As an 18-year old in 1991, he pitched in Reno, Nev. for the Single-A San Bernardino Spirit against the Single-A Reno Silver Sox of the California League.
Tickets for all Aces games start at just $7, and are available by calling the Reno Aces box office at (775) 334-7000 or by visiting RenoAces.com<http://renoaces.com/>. The brand-new Freight House District, located just outside Aces Ballpark, is open seven days a week, on both game days and non-game days.
