Chris Heston

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Christopher Lee Heston
(Hesto Presto)

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Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher Chris Heston made his major league debut in 2014.

While attending Seminole Community College, Heston was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 47th round of the 2007 amateur draft but did not sign. He was then taken by the Washington Nationals in the 29th round of the 2008 amateur draft but opted to transfer to East Carolina University instead. He went 7-0 with a 4.15 ERA in 15 starts for East Carolina in 2009 while leading Conference USA with 88 strikeouts.

Heston was then chosen by the San Francisco Giants in the 12th round of the 2009 amateur draft. He was soon signed by scout Pat Portugal and made his pro debut with the AZL Giants, going 1-5 with a 4.11 ERA in 11 outings. With the Richmond Flying Squirrels in 2012, he was 9-8 in 25 starts, led the Eastern League with a 2.24 ERA, and was named the circuit's Pitcher of the Year. He began 2013 with the Fresno Grizzlies.

He had an excellent season with the Fresno Grizzlies in 2014, going 12-9, 3.38 in 28 starts while pitching 173 innings. His major league debut with the Giants came in a record-setting game on September 13th. Unfortunately, the records set were by the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose 17 runs set a record most runs by any visiting team at AT&T Park, and whose 24 hits were the most by any team at the park. However, Chris did not contribute to the bonfire, as the only baserunner he allowed during his one-inning relief stint came via walk and was left stranded; he also struck out two opponents.

On June 9, 2015, Heston made history in his 13th career start by throwing a no-hitter, with 11 strikeouts, no walks but hitting three batters. It was the first no-hitter in major league history with three or more hit by pitch. He defeated the New York Mets, 5-0. It was the 5th no-hitter by a Giants pitcher in the last seven years. He went 12-11, 3.95 in 31 starts for the Giants that year, logging 177 2/3 innings and striking out 141 opponents. It was a promising debut, but in 2016, he was a victim of the Giants adding another high-priced starter in Johnny Cueto while Chris was dealing with health issued, relegating him to the minors. Then, when the Giants needed another starter in mid-year, they instead went on the trade market to obtain Matt Moore from the Tampa Bay Rays. In all, he pitched only 4 times in the majors, all in relief, with a 1-1 record and a 10.80 ERA. In the minors, he pitched for three teams but mainly for the AAA Sacramento RiverCats, and the results were not great: a 2-9, 4.29 record in 18 games and 92 1/3 innings, with a low strikeout rate (5.9 per 9 innings). On December 8th, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named, heading to an organization that was in need of starting pitching.

Chris failed to stick in Seattle in 2017, as he pitched only twice for the Mariners, including one start, allowing 12 runs on 14 hits in 5 innings to go 0-1, 19.80. He was placed on waivers at the end of May, then was first picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and ten days later, by the Minnesota Twins on another waiver claim. He made his only other appearance of the year for the Twins, pitching a scoreless inning in relief on June 11th in what turned out to be his final big league appearance. In the minors that year, he pitched for four different teams in the three organizations, going 2-6, 6.48 in 16 games. He was back in the Giants organization in 2018 but was beset with arm problems, as 5 of his 9 appearances came in a rehabilitation assignment with the AZL Giants, where he had started his pro career back in 2009. While he pitched well when he could take the mound - his ERA was 2.79 in 19 1/3 innings - his body was no longer willing and he called it a career at the end of the season.

Notable Achievements[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

  • Joe Lemire: "Old hat for Giants: Chris Heston tosses no-hitter", USA Today Sports, June 9, 2015. [1]

Related Sites[edit]

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