Fields pitches an inning

By CARL HENNELL

The Daily Inter Lake

Columbia Falls native Josh Fields has officially registered his comeback into professional baseball.

The Chicago White Sox AAA pitcher from last year who tore the labrum in his throwing shoulder saw his first live action Sunday in Great Falls, pitching for the rookie-level Pioneer League White Sox.

Fields pitched one inning - the seventh with a 4-3 lead - and gave up one hit and struck out one. He was credited with a hold. The White Sox beat Orem, Utah, 6-5.

"It went great," Fields said. "I had a lot of friends and family watching and they all got behind me. It was real nice."

The 26-year-old used 16 pitches in his inning of work - 10 fastballs and six sliders.

"My mechanics were good, I kept the ball low and I threw strikes," Fields said.

The first hitter he faced hit a single off of him on a 3-2 count.

"It was a slider and he just got out in front and looped it into left," Fields said. "The strikeout I got on a fastball away."

The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder is on a schedule to pitch one inning every other day or so.

Great Falls, which is 2-1 since Fields has come back, has today off while traveling to Utah for a three-game series with Ogden and then a four-game series with Orem.

"I will pitch three times on the road trip," Fields said.

All in all, Fields is on his way to a full recovery but does not know if and when he will join the AAA affiliate Charlotte Knights. In September, he will go to the ChiSox's instructional league in Arizona for evaluation.

He is obviously happy.

"I put up a zero, I feel good and I'm going to run with it," he said.