Ryan Lavarnway didn’t wait long to start for the Braves after getting called up from Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.
He sat behind the plate for first pitch Tuesday against guys wearing a Red Sox jersey — the same jersey he wore for parts of the past five years. He also caught Julio Teheran, a pitcher whose slider might pose a challenge for someone who’s never caught him before.
But apparently that wasn’t the case with Lavarnway.
“I had actually caught (Teheran) for two innings at an A-ball All-Star game in Myrtle Beach forever ago,” Lavarnway said before the Braves played Boston on Thursday.
It’s true.
In 2010, Lavarnway caught Teheran for two scoreless innings during the 15th California-Carolina League All-Star game in Myrtle Beach. Teheran’s fastballs reached 98 mph that night.
Lavarnway, then with the Salem Red Sox, and Teheran, then with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, represented the Carolina League, which lost to the California League 4-3.
Teheran went 4-4 with a 2.98 ERA with the Pelicans that year before he was called up to Double-A Mississippi. Lavarnway hit .289 with 14 home runs and 63 RBIs before he was called up to Boston’s Double-A affiliate.
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