Tollberg took the long, winding road to majors

Joe Kay

Monday, June 26, 2000 | 10:12 a.m.

CINCINNATI -- Six years ago, Brian Tollberg was making $500 a month for Chillicothe, Ohio's independent league team, hoping those bus rides through southern Ohio would someday pay off.

They are, in a way he never imagined.

Tollberg took a shutout into the eighth inning Sunday before winding up with a 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, the favored team around the southern part of the state.

Since the San Diego Padres called him up from the Stars last Monday, the right-hander has started two games and won both of them impressively.

"I never could have guessed this in a million years," Tollberg said. "That was my motivation for going to Chillicothe in the first place. I'd been hoping for this since I was 5 years old. If you keep your goal in mind, anything's possible."

Tollberg is 27 now and finally getting that chance. With injuries wiping out the Padres' pitching staff, manager Bruce Bochy has gone through 10 starters already.

Tollberg became No. 10 when he was called up from Las Vegas. In his debut Tuesday in Arizona, he gave up only one hit and one unearned run while striking out seven in seven innings of a 3-1 win.

He was nearly as impressive Sunday, holding the Reds scoreless on seven hits with seven more strikeouts before leaving with one out in the eighth. He was charged with two of the runs that the bullpen let in.

"All of his pitches are average, but he has good command and that usually will bring good results," Bochy said. "We've been forced to keep calling guys up. He probably should have been up earlier. He earned it."

Tollberg throws a curve, a changeup and a fastball that only occasionally reaches 90 mph. So far, he's been able to throw them in the right spots.

"He throws strikes," Bochy said. "Today he was aggressive, had good command and could throw any of his three pitches at any time. He goes after the hitters and is not going to beat himself."

Tollberg was grew up in Bradenton, Fla., went to the University of North Florida and wound up starting his career in Chillicothe when major league teams showed little interest in him.

"I'd never been to Ohio before that," he said.

He wound up living with a couple that had a 400-acre farm, starting his career at the lowest level of pro ball. The team used a school bus for trips to Lancaster, Newark, Erie and parts in-between.

His lasting memory of Chillicothe?

"Just that the fans were super," he said. "They were real supportive for a team with no affiliation with the majors."

He pitched four complete games in 13 starts for Chillicothe, starting a climb that took him to Beloit, El Paso, Mobile and finally Las Vegas. A sore elbow slowed him last year, but he put himself in position to finally get a big-league call-up by going 6-0 with a 2.83 ERA in 13 starts this season.

As he sat with a plate of spaghetti and three large meatballs resting on his lap in the Padres clubhouse, it seemed to him that things had worked out much better than he ever imagined.

"If you would have asked me on the day I came up if I expected this, no way," he said. "I'd have said I'd be happy just to give them some strong outings and let them make plays behind me. So it's special."