The townspeople in Moscow, Maine, population 475, had wide grins on their faces on Saturday night.
One of their own, Cody Laweryson, made his Major League debut on the mound for the Minnesota Twins in their 10-inning, 5-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The former University of Maine All-America East first team pitcher was called up from the Twins’ AAA International League franchise and tossed two innings of scoreless, one-hit relief with one strikeout and no walks.
The right-hander threw 15 strikes among 20 pitches.
He was back on the mound again on Tuesday night against his favorite boyhood team, the New York Yankees. He allowed three hits and one run in two innings with one strikeout and no walks. He threw 26 strikes among his 35 pitches.
“The support I have received throughout this entire process has been pretty crazy,” said the 27-year-old Laweryson on Thursday afternoon. “I still have 400 to 500 texts to catch up on.
“I feel like I’ve finally processed everything that has happened over the last week. I can’t believe it’s already been a week since I was called up,” added Laweryson. “It has been an awesome experience.”
He said it was “pretty crazy” pitching against some of the prominent Yankees like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger.
“I tried not to make the moment bigger than it was,” Laweryson said. “Obviously, it’s a little bit tougher when you see guys like Stanton, Judge and Cody Bellinger stepping in the box.”
He was able to retire Stanton and Judge on groundouts and got Bellinger on a strikeout.
“I was just happy to make quality pitches,” Laweryson said. “If I make quality pitches, I can get pretty much anybody out, and I was able to accomplish that.”
By making it to the Major Leagues, the 14th-round draft choice of the Twins showed that someone from a rural town in a cold-weather climate can realize their dream.
“It goes to show talent can come from anywhere. Obviously, you are a little more limited when it comes to resources and time [outside] from that area in Maine, but if you really want to put in the time and effort, anything is possible,” Laweryson said.
He admitted he was nervous leading up to his first outing with the Twins.
“But when I threw my last warmup pitch, it felt like just another game,” he said.
Yes, there was a little more adrenaline and more nerves, but he said he was “way more locked in” than usual.
“It’s hard not to be locked in for an outing like that,” Laweryson said. “Once I threw the first pitch, it felt way more normal than I expected.”
He allowed a single to the first Diamondbacks hitter he faced before inducing a doubleplay grounder and an inning-ending grounder.
“Once I got through that first clean inning, it was a little easier to go back out there and roll through another one,” he added.
Laweryson said it has been a “pretty easy transition” because he was very familiar with his new teammates from his days coming up through the minor league system.
“I felt a lot more comfortable playing with guys I played with throughout the minor leagues,” he said. “That has made it a little bit easier rather than playing with a bunch of guys I don’t know. I didn’t have to re-learn everybody’s name or talk to new catchers about what my pitch types are and what I want to execute with each pitch, because I had thrown to both catchers in St. Paul.”
He was the 419th overall pick in the 2019 draft and made his professional debut later that year in the minors.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Laweryson said he is still trying to get used to playing in the large Major League stadiums.
“Just the environment and the expectations here feel a little bit different,” he said. “You have to go about your day a little bit different. You have to stay locked in for a little bit longer.”
He said when it comes to facing Major League hitters, if you leave a ball in the middle of the strike zone, they’re almost never going to miss it.
The former multi-sports star at Valley High School in Bingham noted that you can’t leave your offspeed pitches up in the zone, either.
All four hits he has given up have been singles, and he has been pleased about that.
Laweryson’s primary pitch has been a four-seam fastball but he said he can’t throw it as much at the Major League level.
“Throwing 70 percent fastballs isn’t going to play as often here,” said Laweryson, whose offspeed pitches are his slider and change-up.
“It is more of a 50-50 split between fastballs and off-speed pitches. You use your off-speed pitches to keep the hitters honest.”
He said that balance can help his fastball up in the zone against hitters in two-strike situations.
“If I can stay with that 50-50 split for the most part, I think I’m going to be in a better spot,” he added.
Laweryson began the season with AA Wichita in the Texas League before being called up to St. Paul during the first week of June.
Between the two teams, the 27-year-old Laweryson had a 2-4 record and a 2.86 earned run average spanning 34 games, all in relief. He converted six of seven save attempts and had two holds.
He threw 44 innings and gave up 42 hits while striking out 45 and walking 14. He gave up just two homers.
Laweryson was chosen a Texas League All Star in 2022 when he posted a 5-0 record and a 1.06 ERA for Wichita.
But he had to battle hip, shoulder and oblique injuries in 2023 and 2024 and had his share of struggles. He had a 4.80 ERA in St. Paul in 2023 and a 6.82 ERA in Texas last season.
This season, with the exception of an arm flexor strain that sidelined him from July 12 to Aug. 20, he has been healthy and that has been a key component in his success.
The flexor strain lowered the velocity of his fastball when he returned, but he said the velocity is returning. He can throw it in the 94-95 miles per hour range.
This is the final year of his contract so when he got called up on Sept. 12, he considered it a “two to three week audition” to see what he can provide.
“My situation has changed now. If I’m able to execute and perform the way I have been, I think I can earn a spot here next year,” Laweryson said.
He has realized his dream of playing in the Major Leagues and now he wants to remain there.
“I dreamed of it being a little bit of an easier path. My back has been against the wall a few times within this organization,” Laweryson said. “But I’ve been able to battle through it.”
The Twins start a four-game series against the Clevenland Guardians on Friday.
“I’m not going to be picky about when I made my MLB debut. It was pretty special,” Laweryson said.