Tampa Bay Rays reliever Chaz Roe is in his sixth season in the majors, having pitched in 134 games. Three of those came with the Yankees in September 2014.
He came up with the Diamondbacks and made his debut against the Mets in a 13-inning loss on July 1, 2013. On July 4, Roe picked up the win in relief as Arizona won in 15 innings.
With the Yankees, he made three appearances, giving up two earned runs in two innings. Since then, Roe has pitched for the Orioles, Braves and Rays.
He took a minute before Thursday’s game to talk with NY Sports Day.
NYSD: Do you have a favorite memory from pitching with the New York Yankees? I know it was just a little while.
CR: Yeah. I wasn’t here that long, only a couple of outings. First day when I debuted was against Boston and then I went to Baltimore. It was a good time especially having people like Jeter. You know it was his last year, so it was phenomenal to see, to see him in action and then just be on the left side of the ball with him.
NYSD: What was it like being in that clubhouse with Jeter and Ichiro and Teixeira and Beltran and all those veteran guys?
CR: Yeah, it was definitely overwhelming when I first stepped in that clubhouse. You kind of step back and just look like ‘wow.’ There’s a lot of years of baseball in here. It was fun being around them and learn a little bit while I was here.
NYSD: What is it like being on this mound for the first time?
CR: It was exciting. Yankee Stadium, the atmosphere, the history here. It was good. It was a good experience.
NYSD: You also made your debut in New York at Citi Field. What are some of your memories from that game?
CR: Absolutely. You’re not going to forget your debut so, I ended up getting the win that day (Editor note: he received a no-decision in his debut) and then I pitched like three out of four days when I was called up. It was a good experience. I enjoyed it.