Back in the majors

Getting his first Major League win was a “dream come true” for Seaford’s Sean Nolin, who recently earned a call-up with the Oakland Athletics. Nolin, in just his fourth big-league game and his second start of this season, earned the milestone victory in his team’s 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Sept. 12.

It’s been a long journey for Nolin, 25, who graduated from Seaford High School in 2008 and was a standout pitcher for the Vikings, despite being plagued by injuries. A preseason trade sent him to the other side of the country, but, never giving up, he says he now finds himself in a good place. “It feels awesome,” he said of his third time on a major league roster. “I never want to leave. I definitely got another chance.”

Nolin pitched for the Vikings varsity squad from 2005 to 2008, helping the team make the county semifinals two out of three years. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, but instead decided to attend San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas.

The following year, he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners, but stayed in school. In 2010 he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays and signed. He made one start for the Blue Jays in 2013, then got into one game last year as a September call-up. In the offseason, he was traded with several other young players to Oakland for third-baseman Josh Donaldson, a front-runner for this year’s American League Most Valuable Player award.

“They wanted me in that trade,” he said of his new organization, which is giving a healthy Nolin a chance to show his stuff this September. He said his goal for next year is to make Oakland’s opening-day roster. “Nothing’s in my hands but what I can do out on the field,” he said. “I always work my hardest out there.”

As a left-handed pitcher, Nolin said he hopes that desired attribute increases his chance of staying in the majors, and said he feels more positive now than ever before about his future.

“We’re very proud of him,” said his mother, Patricia Nolin, who, along with her husband, Edward, hosted about 15 people at their house on Sept. 6 to watch Sean’s first start of the season. The Nolins have an Internet package to get all major and minor league games, which they stream through their television.