Sleepless Dillon Gee not complaining about joining Rangers

Dillon Gee only got a few hours of sleep last night but he’s not complaining.

The veteran pitcher who was called up from Triple A Round Rock to replace A.J. Griffin arrived at the Rangers’ Rogers Centre clubhouse about two hours before first pitch Saturday.

Griffin was pulled from Friday’s start in the second inning with a strained left intercostal muscle. Moments later, during Round Rock’s game, Gee was informed that he was joining the Rangers in Toronto, his first stint with the club he grew up watching in Cleburne.

He packed up his stuff and drove home to Aledo Friday night, a nice perk, before catching a 6:20 a.m. flight to Toronto. He only got a couple hours of sleep before leaving Aledo around 3:45 a.m.

“It’s all good. You’re here,” said Gee, who attended Cleburne High School. “It feels great. I’ve put on a couple major league uniforms before but this one feels a little bit different. I grew up watching this team as a little kid and it’s always been a dream to put on this uniform.”

Gee had a 3.88 ERA in nine starts (51 innings) for Round Rock. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in his past two starts and held opponents to three combined hits in his past 13 innings. He struck out nine and walked two in six innings in his last start on Wednesday.

“I was starting to get really consistent,” he said, “The feel was really coming around.”

Gee was drafted by the Mets in 2007 out of UT Arlington. He played six seasons for the Mets, including 199 innings with a 3.62 ERA in 32 starts in 2013. He pitched for the Royals in 2016.

“You dream about playing for your hometown team but once you get into pro ball you go wherever the best opportunity. It’s come full circle and hopefully we can make it stick.

This story was originally published May 27, 2017 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Sleepless Dillon Gee not complaining about joining Rangers."