By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
ANAHEIM, Calif. — There was a time, not too long ago, when right-hander Alex Cobb didn't know if his stuff could work in the big leagues.
"Growing up all you hear is how difficult the major leagues are, and you kind of get it sunken into your head that you're not going to be able to compete at that level," Cobb said. "I thought my (minor-league) numbers were okay, but I wasn't getting any publicity. I thought the scouts were seeing something I didn't."
Now there isn't any question.
And Cobb has a major-league victory to prove it.
Cobb, 23, earned his first on Tuesday, working into the seventh as the Rays beat the Angels 4-1 in his third big-league start, then getting the obligatory beer shower from his teammates.
He said it didn't sink in until later Tuesday, when he was out eating with some relatives and he saw the crawl on ESPN listing him as the winner. "I thought that was pretty cool," he said.
He was reminded again in an emotional phone call with his father, Rick, then again Wednesday morning when his phone was loaded with text messages from family and friends. "There's been a lot of support," he said.