By Staff
From staff reports
June 29, 2001
Meridian native Jay Powell, a relief pitcher with the Houston Astros, has been traded to the Colorado Rockies for reliever Ron Villone.
Astros General Manager Gerry Hunsicker announced the deal late Wednesday night, according to MLB.com.
Powell, a former Mississippi State right-handed standout, is 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA (15ER/36.1IP) over a team-leading 35 appearances this season. However, Powell is 0-for-5 in save opportunities this year and has allowed 12 of 22 inherited runners to score.
The 29-year-old Powell, who was acquired from the Florida Marlins on July 5, 1998 in exchange for catcher Ramon Castro, has a career Major League record of 26-19 with a 3.91 ERA and 15 saves over 343 appearances with the Marlins (1995-98) and Astros (1998-2001).
The highlight of Powell's career came in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series when he was the winning pitcher for Florida against the Cleveland Indians.
Villone, 30, has a big league career record of 24-24 with a 4.83 ERA with five saves over 243 games (51 starts), playing for Seattle (1995), San Diego (1996-97), Cleveland (1998), Cincinnati (1999-2000) and the Rockies (2001).
This season, Villone has a 1-3 record and a 6.36 ERA (33ER/46.2IP) over 22 games (six starts).
Villone was drafted No. 14 overall by the Mariners in the first round of the June 1992 draft.