Not long after receiving the best news of his young professional career, Adam Loewen sat alone on a bus.
Leaving his Bowie Baysox uniform behind, the 22-year-old pitcher boarded a bus in Altoona, Pa., to catch a flight in Pittsburgh the next morning. He was headed to Seattle, where he would make his major league debut for the Orioles the next night against the Mariners.
The two-hour ride would give Loewen time to notify family and friends that he had finally gotten the call. But the driver got lost trying to navigate through the Pennsylvania night, leaving Loewen four hours to wrestle with his emotions. They ranged from excitement to pure disbelief.
It was, after all, just a year earlier when the routine act of throwing a fastball for a strike against a Single-A hitter had frustrated him so much that he wondered if he'd ever pitch in the major leagues.
"It always seemed so far away," Loewen said. "I remember when I was in Frederick, I had three of the nastiest outings you could have. I went to [pitching coach Scott McGregor] and said, 'Scotty, you think the Orioles would let me hit? This is just not working out.' "
Seated at a Canton coffee shop early last week not far from the townhouse he shares with one of his best friends, Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis, the 6-foot-5 Loewen laughed as he recalled the story. For most of the past four months, he has tried not to think too much about the 2006 season, which was both highly surprising and largely successful.
He relied on some of the fonder memories when he needed extra motivation, like the time New York Yankees manager Joe Torre sought out the pitcher to congratulate him on a victory over his team. But he is ready to turn the page, and 2007 brings a new set of responsibilities and expectations.
Barring an injury or spring meltdown, Loewen has locked up a spot in the Orioles' rotation, quite a feat for someone who hadn't pitched above Single-A at this point last season. Many club officials and baseball prognosticators believe he and Daniel Cabrera could be key factors as the Orioles attempt to break their crippling stretch of nine straight losing seasons.
"I think that's true," said Loewen, who traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., last week and will report to spring training with the rest of the Orioles' pitchers and catchers on Wednesday. Loewen lost 15 pounds this offseason to get down to 230 and says he's in the best shape of his life.
"It's the young guys that have to step up and be more consistent. ... I am ready. This is as good as I ever felt. As soon as I picked up the ball and started to throw off the mound, I felt like I picked up where I left off."
Flashes in 2006
Loewen was 6-6 last year in 19 starts with a 5.37 ERA, a body of work that normally wouldn't elicit such far-ranging optimism. But on certain days last season, Loewen gave fans and club officials so much to be excited about.
"Last year was a big year for him. He knew that and we knew that," executive vice president Mike Flanagan said. "And he seized an opportunity. He matured so much in all parts of his game - his workout, how he prepared for his starts."
Said one scout who saw Loewen about five times last season: "I think he really, really turned the corner. He started commanding his fastball a lot better, his breaking ball is a legit out pitch and his [changeup] is developing. I think he could be a legitimate top-of-the-rotation guy."
Even in the worst moments of his rookie season, the towering left-hander proved tough, resourceful, determined and quite unlucky. He became the first pitcher in major league history to face Cy Young winners in his first four starts.
At his best, Loewen handled the New York Yankees, going 2-1 against them in four starts with a 2.63 ERA. On one August afternoon at a sun-drenched Camden Yards, Loewen held the Yankees to one hit over 6 2/3 innings. Against American League playoff teams in 2006, Loewen was 4-2 in eight starts with a 3.00 ERA.
His ability to rise to the occasion reared before the season began as he held a powerful United States team scoreless through 3 2/3 innings in Canada's upset victory in the World Baseball Classic.
"When I had more adrenaline than I am used to, it seems to work to my advantage," Loewen said. "I am able to focus and prepare better. I know I have to be close to perfect to have a good outing. I love a challenge like that."
Even after his performance in the World Classic, the Orioles still weren't sure about Loewen. His minor league numbers - 14-17 over parts of three seasons with 162 walks in 258 2/3 innings - showed inconsistency.
He hadn't even reached the legal drinking age yet, so it was far too early to label Loewen, the fourth overall pick in the 2002 draft (the highest a Canadian has ever been drafted) as the Orioles' latest bust. But, Flanagan and manager Sam Perlozzo admitted there was some concern about Loewen's progress.
"I watched him [in spring training 2005] and didn't really see anything to get excited about, whether it was arm strength, his breaking ball or even is mound presence," Perlozzo said. "I just didn't see it, and that bothered me. He was our No. 1 pick. It was like, 'What are we going to do with this guy?' "
Ready or not ...
About a year after they drafted Loewen and just before a midnight deadline that would have allowed him to re-enter the 2003 draft, the Orioles finally signed the pitcher, but needed to pull out all the stops - and their checkbook - to do it. They signed him to a five-year, $4.02 million major league contract (the highest ever given to an Orioles draftee), with a $3.2 million bonus. And there was one more thing.
By the 2007 season, Loewen would be out of minor league options and have to be on the Orioles' 25-man roster or passed through waivers. With Loewen showing no indications that he was ready for the majors, the contract hung like an albatross over the organization.
"I remember talking at the end of last spring and the conversation was that we really need him to go out and have a full year in the minors," Orioles vice president Jim Duquette said. "Our thought was: 'You think he could be ready to pitch out of the bullpen in 2007?' "
In effect, the Orioles didn't have much choice but to call on Loewen last season. Pitching prospect Hayden Penn had an appendectomy the night before his scheduled season debut, and the Orioles were already without Cabrera, who was on the disabled list with a sore shoulder. On the night of May 22, Orioles minor league director David Stockstill called McGregor, Bowie's pitching coach, and asked if Loewen "could pitch in the big leagues."
"He's as ready as he is ever going to be," McGregor told Stockstill.
Perlozzo wasn't as certain, answering a question the next day about Loewen's readiness for the majors by saying, "You'll all know the same time as I do."
Difficult debut
With family and friends in the crowd - he grew up two hours north of Seattle in Surrey, British Columbia - Loewen made his major league debut May 23, entering the game in the sixth inning. He struck out his first batter, walked the next one and then hit the third one before giving up an RBI single. Perlozzo then called on Todd Williams to relieve Loewen. Shortstop Miguel Tejada made several trips to the mound to try to ease Loewen's fragile psyche.
"I was so nervous that I couldn't even grip the ball," Loewen said.
When the Orioles signed former 20-game winner Russ Ortiz off the scrap heap June 25, Loewen - winless to that point - knew he was headed back to the minors. But before he was summoned to Perlozzo's office, he sought out Ortiz and welcomed him to Baltimore. Loewen had met the veteran before, but the mature gesture was noticed by veteran teammates.
Before, Loewen, a quiet sort, had kept to himself in the clubhouse, leading some veterans to conclude that the highly-ranked prospect was cocky and full of himself. Loewen was miffed at the perception.
"LaTroy Hawkins said to me, 'Man in spring training, I thought you were the cockiest piece of [garbage]. Now, I know you are totally the opposite,'" Loewen said.
Said teammate Jay Gibbons: "Adam is a guy that knows he is talented. You can see it. Him and Markakis are similar in that way. But you can tell they want to win and the work ethic is there."
Mazzone mending
When he was recalled by the Orioles for good on July 14 after three strong outings in Triple-A, Loewen worked to repair his relationship with Leo Mazzone, the club's first-year pitching coach.
Loewen said that the two "butted heads" during his first stint with the club. Mazzone wanted Loewen to throw his fastball down and away and to rely more on a four-seam fastball. Loewen wanted to throw his cutter inside and "try to break every bat."
"Once we made that bond and started understanding each other better, Leo helped me a great deal," Loewen said. "I realized I had to stop being so stubborn. Maybe earlier, I didn't communicate the stuff that I should have. But for any coach with that type of resume ... they know what they're talking about. You have to prove yourself to them."
Mazzone appreciated Loewen's competitiveness and his desire to get better. In games he wasn't starting, Loewen would sit close to Mazzone and pick the pitching coach's brain.
"He's a real sharp kid and he competes like a son of a gun," Mazzone said. "I saw games where he went to his changeup when he didn't have his power. He's always in attack mode."
Carrying a one-hit shutout against the Yankees on Aug. 5 at Camden Yards, Loewen issued back-to-back walks to Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi to start the seventh inning. Perlozzo came to the mound and asked if Loewen was tired. The pitcher's response was, "I don't get tired."
"It's been a long time since I went out there and had somebody tell me that," said Perlozzo, who watched Loewen strike out the next hitter, Jorge Posada, on three nasty curveballs, earning a standing ovation.
Though touched by the fan response, Loewen, recalling his first shaky outing in Seattle, was more impressed by the indirect compliment paid to him by a teammate.
"Tejada came to the mound less and less," he said. "That's how I knew I was progressing."
Quiet off the field
When the pitcher returned to British Columbia after the season, Al and Anne Loewen noticed that the youngest of their three kids was more cautious about what he was eating and more dedicated to working out. His offseason training regimen included the occasional trek up Vancouver mountains while wearing snowshoes.
"Adam is not really a talker, and if he does, he likes to talk about anything else but baseball," said Anne, who is a nurse. "I want to ask him about different players and he says, 'Can we not talk about baseball?' "
Loewen, who also was a standout in volleyball and hockey growing up (Al Loewen thinks his son had a shot at the NHL), says he lives the typical bachelor's life. He plays golf, video games and likes to hang out with friends. Even when he goes out in Baltimore, he prefers to remain anonymous, something his buddy Markakis has trouble doing.
"People recognize him all the time," Loewen said. "We'll go to Sip & Bite and Jimmy's and they love him. I tell Nick to stop gloating and loving himself."
McGregor, whose family occasionally hosts Loewen for dinner and has been one of the pitcher's mentors, is frequently reminded that Loewen is still just 22. Last month, McGregor got a call from Loewen, whose car wouldn't start. McGregor drove to Canton and gave Loewen a jump.
McGregor also remembers watching an Orioles game on television last season. While Perlozzo was getting interviewed on camera in between innings, Loewen was unknowingly in the background, caught trying to flick a sunflower seed up teammate Jeff Fiorentino's nose.
"I texted him and said, 'Nice job,' and he writes back, 'I keep forgetting where I am at,' " McGregor said. "He's still a kid at heart. But when you put a ball in his hand, he is pretty impressive."
jeff.zrebiec@baltsun.com