Christopher Lee Heston (born April 10, 1988) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played college baseball for

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...

and played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

and the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

. On June 9, 2015, he threw the 17th no-hitter in Giants franchise history.

Early life

Heston graduated from Bayside High School in

Palm Bay, Florida Palm Bay is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The city's population was 119,760 at the 2020 United States census, up from 103,190 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous city in the county and the largest by land mass. T ...

. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for two years at

Seminole Community College Seminole State College of Florida is a public college based in Sanford, Florida, United States. It is part of the Florida College System. History Established by the Florida Legislature in 1965 as Seminole Junior College, the school began operat ...

Professional career

Drafts and minor leagues

He was drafted by the

in the 47th round of the

2007 Major League Baseball Draft The 2007 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the first 25 rounds and was scheduled to be broadcast "l ...

but did not sign with the team. In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

drafted Heston in the 29th round, but he again did not sign and attended

. He was then drafted a third time, by the

in the 12th round in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, and signed. Heston's professional career got off to a rocky start with a 1–5 record and 4.11 ERA in the rookie

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it fo ...

in 2009. In 2010, he finished 5–13 with a 3.75 ERA with the Single-A

Augusta GreenJackets The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina. History Augusta was a member of the S ...

. With the Class A-Advanced

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants g ...

in 2011, he improved to 12–4 with a 3.16 ERA and 131 strikeouts. With the Double-A

Richmond Flying Squirrels The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. Th ...

in 2012, he finished 9–8 with a 2.24 ERA, the second-lowest ERA in Flying Squirrels' franchise history. He earned a spot in the Eastern League All-Star Game and was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year. Heston was added to the Giants' 40-man roster on November 20, 2012. He was optioned to AAA

Fresno Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

on March 2, 2013, and struggled to a 7–6 record and 5.80 ERA. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

on July 13 to clear a roster spot for

Jeff Francoeur Jeffrey Braden Francoeur (; born January 8, 1984), nicknamed "Frenchy", is an American former professional baseball right fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals ...

and released on July 21. He was re-signed by the Giants to a minor league contract on July 24. In 2014, Heston improved to 12–9 with a 3.38 ERA in Fresno and was re-added to the 40-man roster in September 2014.

San Francisco Giants (2014–2016)

2014

Heston made his Major League debut with the

on September 13, 2014, in the ninth inning against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

where he pitched a scoreless inning. He eventually appeared in three games, including one start, and pitched five and one-third innings with a 5.06 ERA. The Giants clinched a wild card spot with an 88–74 record and eventually won the

2014 World Series The 2014 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2014 season. The 110th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and the Ameri ...

, their third championship in five seasons. Heston did not participate in any postseason activity but received his first championship ring for his regular season contributions.

2015

Heston was slated to start the 2015 season in AAA

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, but was called up on April 7 to replace the injured

Matt Cain Matthew Thomas Cain (born October 1, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the San Francisco Giants from 2005 to 2017. A three-time World Series champion and a thr ...

. He got his first MLB win in his second start for the Giants on April 8, 2015, defeating the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

5–2 and throwing 6 innings. Heston gave up two runs, neither earned, but had five strikeouts gaining the win. On May 12, 2015, Heston pitched a complete game against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

, allowing only two hits and one run, with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Heston was the first Giants rookie to throw a complete game with at least 10 strikeouts since Roger Mason on October 4, 1985, and the first Giants rookie with double-digit strikeouts since

Tim Lincecum Timothy Leroy Lincecum ( ; born June 15, 1984), nicknamed "the Freak", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the San Francisco Giants. A two-time Cy Young Award ...

on July 1, 2007. On June 9, 2015, Heston

no-hit In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine ...

the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

5–0 at

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball park, baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the Boroughs of New York, borough of Queens, New York City, United States. Opened in 2009, Citi Field is the home of Major League Baseball's New York M ...

, becoming the 22nd rookie pitcher since 1900 to throw a no-hitter in a major-league regular-season game. He struck out 11 and walked none; the only 3 runners to reach base were

hit by a pitch In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provide ...

. Heston closed his no-hitter with three strikeouts in the 9th inning, a feat last accomplished by

Sandy Koufax Sanford Koufax (; né Braun; born December 30, 1935), nicknamed "the Left Arm of God", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 195 ...

in his perfect game in 1965 against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

. He also became the first pitcher to no-hit the Mets in a Mets' home game since

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Bob Moose Robert Ralph Moose Jr. (October 9, 1947 – October 9, 1976) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates from through . Biography Moose ...

no-hit them at

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.RBIs A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

with a two-run single. For his efforts, Heston was honored with his first career National League Player of the Week Award as well as the key to the city by the mayor of Palm Bay, Florida. On July 23, 2015, Heston carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

, ultimately allowing only one hit and no runs in 7 innings pitched. The 9–3 victory over the Padres was Heston's 10th win, making him the first Giants rookie to reach 10 wins since Matt Cain in 2006. Heston was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on August 21, 2015, to make room for recently acquired outfielder

Marlon Byrd Marlon Jerrard Byrd (born August 30, 1977) is an Americans, American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, ...

. Later on August 28, 2015, he was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento since Matt Cain was placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

. Heston finished the season with a 12–11 record, 3.95 ERA, and 141 strikeouts in 177 innings pitched. In 2015 he shared the major league lead in

hit batsmen In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter (baseball), batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded f ...

, with 13.

2016

Heston started the 2016 season in the Giants' bullpen. He was optioned down to Triple-A after four appearances, and spent the rest of the season in the minors or on the disabled list.

Seattle Mariners (2017)

On December 7, 2016, Heston was traded to the

for a player to be named later.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On May 26, 2017, he was claimed off waivers by the

Minnesota Twins (2017)

On June 7, 2017, Heston was claimed off waivers by the

. He was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A on June 16, when they purchased the contract of

Adam Wilk Adam Robert Wilk (born December 9, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles of Anaheim, New York Mets, and Minnesota Twins as well as in the KBO Leag ...

. In 8 games (6 starts) for Rochester, Heston struggled to an 0–3 record and 10.00 ERA with 12 strikeouts across 27 innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.

San Francisco Giants

On January 24, 2018, Heston signed a minor league contract to return to the

. He was released by the organization on July 27, 2018.

Personal life

Heston is currently a real estate agent in

Melbourne, Florida Melbourne ( ) is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando, Florida, Orlando along Florida's Space Coast, named because of the region's proximity to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. The city ...

References

External links

East Carolina Pirates bio
* : {{DEFAULTSORT:Heston, Chris 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Sanford, Florida People from Palm Bay, Florida Baseball players from Brevard County, Florida Major League Baseball pitchers San Francisco Giants players Seattle Mariners players Minnesota Twins players Seminole State Raiders baseball players East Carolina Pirates baseball players Arizona League Giants players Augusta GreenJackets players San Jose Giants players Richmond Flying Squirrels players Fresno Grizzlies players Sacramento River Cats players Tacoma Rainiers players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Rochester Red Wings players Baseball players from Seminole County, Florida