Williamson led the
Pacific Coast League with 16 saves for Las Vegas in 1986, then was traded to the Orioles by the Padres with
Terry Kennedy for
Storm Davis. He made
61 appearances for Baltimore as a rookie in 1987 (an Orioles rookie record), and was in the starting rotation briefly in 1988, but was returned to the minors with a 5-8, 4.90 record.
Returning to the bigs in 1989, Williamson settled into a middle-relief role for the Birds, posting stellar 2.93 and 2.21 ERA's in back-to-back seasons. Having found his niche as a reliever, he started only three games after 1988.
(SCL/GL)
Mark Williamson
