Sports

Walker Grad to Start in Braves' Debut

David Hale gets the call on the mound tonight against the Padres.

A week after being called up to the Atlanta Braves for the first time, David Hale will find out tonight what it's like to play in the major leagues. 

The graduate of The Walker School has been named the starting pitcher for the Braves, who play San Diego at Turner Field in a game that starts at 7:30. 


Hale, who has pitched for the Braves' top minor league team at Gwinnett this season, is getting the call with Atlanta well ahead in the National League East and with starter Paul Maholm missing a start to rest a sore elbow. 

Hale told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about his finally getting his big league debut: “Oh, I’ve thought about it plenty already. I don’t think it’ll compare to what it’ll actually be. It’s crazy to think that I was 4 or 5 years old going to (Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium) and watching these guys play. It’s cool to be a part of it.”

Hale became a pitcher in his senior season at Walker and played college baseball at Princeton before being drafted in the third round by the Braves in 2009.

He was 6-9 this season at Gwinnett. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from East Cobb