On Fourth of July weekend, with the Iowa general assembly in recess, District 1 Representative J.D. Scholten was spending his time as he often did, at a Sioux City Explorers game.
He enjoyed a bratwurst and a few beers while taking in a game of the team he pitched for from 2003 to 2007, following a standout college career first at local Morningside and then Nebraska.
Explorers pitchers weren't having nearly as much fun playing the game. They were mired in a stretch during which manager Steve Montgomery had depleted the staff. In one game, he used 10 pitchers.
"One of the people as I was walking out jokingly said, 'Oh, they need to get you a uniform,' Scholten said. "And I just laughed it off."
Montgomery wasn't laughing. His pitching staff was taxed. His scheduled starter for the July 6 game was injured. So he put out a call to Scholten, asking if the 44-year-old had anything in the tank.
Scholten had plenty. The 6-foot-6 righthander, nearly two decades removed from his last outing in the American Association, delivered 6.2 innings for the Explorers, tossing 100 pitches.
Highly improbable on the surface, Scholten's start was 20 years in the making.
That's because Scholten felt like he hadn't gotten to all of his talent during his first run in professional baseball.
"I was raw for a very long time," Scholten said. "These last 17 years have eaten at me, because I knew there was more. The pitcher I am today is the pitcher I always thought I could be."
Scholten never made it to affiliated baseball, so after five pro seasons he transitioned to the next phase of his life—first as a paralegal and eventually into politics. He launched a strong but unsuccessful challenge to incumbent Iowa Congressman Steve King in 2018. Scholten eventually won his Iowa house seat in 2022.
At first, Scholten kept...
He enjoyed a bratwurst and a few beers while taking in a game of the team he pitched for from 2003 to 2007, following a standout college career first at local Morningside and then Nebraska.
Explorers pitchers weren't having nearly as much fun playing the game. They were mired in a stretch during which manager Steve Montgomery had depleted the staff. In one game, he used 10 pitchers.
"One of the people as I was walking out jokingly said, 'Oh, they need to get you a uniform,' Scholten said. "And I just laughed it off."
Montgomery wasn't laughing. His pitching staff was taxed. His scheduled starter for the July 6 game was injured. So he put out a call to Scholten, asking if the 44-year-old had anything in the tank.
Scholten had plenty. The 6-foot-6 righthander, nearly two decades removed from his last outing in the American Association, delivered 6.2 innings for the Explorers, tossing 100 pitches.
Highly improbable on the surface, Scholten's start was 20 years in the making.
That's because Scholten felt like he hadn't gotten to all of his talent during his first run in professional baseball.
"I was raw for a very long time," Scholten said. "These last 17 years have eaten at me, because I knew there was more. The pitcher I am today is the pitcher I always thought I could be."
Scholten never made it to affiliated baseball, so after five pro seasons he transitioned to the next phase of his life—first as a paralegal and eventually into politics. He launched a strong but unsuccessful challenge to incumbent Iowa Congressman Steve King in 2018. Scholten eventually won his Iowa house seat in 2022.
At first, Scholten kept...
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Baseball America (Digital) - 1 Issue, November 2024