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Tim McDonough column: Niese lives out his childhood dream

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MILWAUKEE -- Welcome to the national stage Jon Niese.

Niese, one of Defiance's own, made his Major League Baseball pitching debut for the New York Mets on Tuesday night at Milwaukee against the Brewers in the heat of a pennant race. Although it didn't go as well as he would have liked, nonetheless on September 2, 2008, Niese was "in the show," seeing his team pull out a 6-5 win.

Niese's pitching line ... 3 innings, 5 runs, 7 hits, 2 strikeouts, 4 walks, probably wasn't what he imagined growing up when he dreamed of playing in the big leagues, but he still got to live the dream just by walking to that mound at Miller Park in front of 36,587 fans and throwing that first pitch.

Just over three years removed from earning a diploma from Defiance High School, how cool is that?

In his short baseball career, Niese has gone from a shy 18-year-old kid to a 21-year-old man with growing maturity. No matter what happens from this point on, Niese can proudly say that he's had the chance to fulfill a dream that many never get the opportunity to even pursue.

Said Niese: "I was very nervous and I think that anyone who makes their major league debut would be as nervous as I was. I tried to keep it under control as best I could and I tried to battle out there the whole time. I don't know if what happened out there has hit me yet, but I can tell you, what I got to do tonight really is every kids' dream.

"There's no words to describe what it means to me to have had this opportunity," continued Niese. "When I think back about being a kid, this is what I dreamed about and tonight it came true."

The theme of the night for Niese and his family was certainly dreams. His father Jeff and his mom Annette were very proud of their son, but what made them the happiest was seeing their son fulfill his childhood dream.

"To see Jon living his dream, I don't know if I've ever been that excited myself or that excited for him," said Jeff. "I told him afterward that I got to see him living the dream and living the dream can't really begin to describe what I'm thinking and feeling."

Said Annette: "I'm just so proud of him ... I really don't know what to say. It's a dream come true for all of us, it was such a grand moment."

New York manager Jerry Manuel admitted after the game that Niese didn't have his best outing of the year, but at the same time Manuel also knows that you only get one major league debut and that it was a great experience for his young lefty.

"I think it was a tremendous experience for him and I think the fact that we won the game did a lot for his confidence," said Manuel. "Had we lost the game, I think it would have had an adverse affect on him. But, I think winning the game and I think how everyone feels after the win is good for him. I think we all know and he knows that wasn't his best outing."

With his major league debut behind him, Niese is hoping to get the opportunity to pitch for the Mets again this season. While nothing is set in stone as far as the Mets' rotation is concerned, the southpaw is looking forward to getting back to work and using his first major league start as a springboard for a long and successful career.

Said Niese: "I don't think I made a very good first impression, but that's out of my control and all I can do is get back to work and fix my mistakes. I know there's a lot of work to be done for me to reach my goals and I'm ready to do that work.

"It was a great experience and what made it even better was seeing my family and friends a lot of people from Defiance here to cheer me on," concluded Niese. "I can't tell you how many calls and text messages I've been getting the last few days. It's meant a lot to me and I don't know if I can say thank you enough to all the people who have been supporting me."