Former UCSB baseball star Chris Valaika made his Major League debut for the Cincinnati Reds in San Francisco on Tuesday, going 1-for-2 with a single to center field on the very first pitch he saw from Giants pitcher Santiago Casilla.
Valaika, a 2006 third-round draft pick by the Reds, was the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year in 2008. Before being called up on Tuesday, the shortstop was hitting .305 at the Triple-A level in Louisville. He came in to pinch-hit for relief pitcher Nick Masset in the sixth inning.
The Reds lost the game 16-5.
