Voorhees native Andrew Bailey living All-Star Game dream after finding success as Oakland A's reliever

David Richard/Associated Press

Athletics pitcher Andrew Bailey is congratulated by teammates after recording his ninth save in a win over the Indians earlier this month.

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Andrew Bailey and his father Bill drove toward the St. Louis arch during the 17th hour of a 38-hour trek from Voorhees, N.J., to Scottsdale, Ariz., on an especially bitter February morning.

Grasping the wheel of Andrew's silver Ford Explorer, Bill turned to his son, making conversation."You know," Bill said, "the All-Star Game is in St. Louis this year."

Like a teenager, Andrew rolled his eyes. He was a 24-year-old pitcher hoping to make the next step: Triple-A Sacramento.

"Okay, Dad," he said. "Come on."

Entering spring training, Andrew Bailey was not on the Oakland Athletics' 40-man roster. Two days before the season began, the 2002 Paul VI High School graduate didn't even know if he had made the team.

He did.

On Opening Day, he pitched a scoreless inning. Two days later, he earned his first win. He spent April in middle relief, pitching every inning from the fifth to the eighth. On May 8, he earned his first of 10 saves as the A's unofficial closer.

Tuesday, he is an All-Star -- the only rookie on either roster.

"I can't go jumping up and down in the locker room," Andrew Bailey said. "I want to be like a little kid, but I'm supposed to be a professional."

On July 5, when All-Star selections were announced, Andrew called his mom, Lori, who was at Brigantine Beach with at least 20 family members, and calmly -- too calmly, if you ask Lori -- told them the news: "Hey Mom, Dad, how you doing? Hey, I made the All-Star team."

While Bailey, still the clubhouse rookie, made sure the Athletics dugout was stocked with peanuts and candy for their game in Cleveland that day, his family finished off four bottles of champagne in a matter of minutes.

He is the only Oakland player in the All-Star Game.

"It's been a roller coaster ride ever since he started three years ago up in (Class A) Vancouver," Bill Bailey said.

Andrew Bailey was always a late bloomer. The first time a big-league scout saw him pitch was a mistake; the Montreal Expos were watching the pitcher opposing Bailey when they asked Lori, "Where he's been hiding?"

Holding out on a call from a southern powerhouse school like Florida State or Clemson, Bailey didn't commit to pitch for Wagner College until after his team was knocked out of the state tournament his senior year of high school.

Wagner head coach Joe Litterio is still reveling in Bailey's decision to become a Seahawk. Litterio has devoted the entire fourth paragraph of his coaching biography to the highest drafted player in Northeast Conference history, whom he helped develop.

"He's just a kid that had this type of stuff at Wagner, but he wasn't a kid that would show it (off the field)," said Litterio, who is also in St. Louis to see Bailey, at his own expense. "He wouldn't walk around like he was that good."

Bailey was first drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 16th round in 2005, after his junior year -- but his arm was still in a sling following Tommy John surgery and he didn't sign.

"I had to sit out a whole year and I had one year left at school," Bailey said. "If I was good enough to play, I figured, baseball will be there."

Bailey recovered in 10 months and pitched several innings his senior season -- with a few outings in relief, for the first time in his career. He was drafted in the sixth round by Oakland in 2006, having already graduated from Wagner with a degree in business administration. He finished his college career with 14 wins in 35 starts, a school-record 237 strikeouts and a 3.94 ERA.

After floating around the minor leagues for much of 2006 and 2007, Bailey landed in Double-A Midland last spring. After winning his first game, he went 0-8 with a 6.75 ERA in his next 14 starts. Over the Texas League All-Star break, less than 11 months ago, the A's decided to make Bailey a reliever. He added a wicked cutter to his repertoire, trying to emulate Mariano Rivera by studying tape of the Yankees closer.

Bailey closed out last season in Double A, finishing the year 4-1 with a 0.92 ERA in his final 22 outings.

But no one expected him to make the Athletics roster this year. Not even Bailey. His numbers made it impossible to turn him away: He had a 0.66 ERA in 12 spring training appearances.

In the first half of this season he is 4-1 with a 1.92 ERA and 10 saves in 512/3 innings.

"This year we went to spring training early," Lori Bailey said. "It was the big league camp and we didn't know how long he would stay there before he was sent down. But he just kept making the cut every Monday."

On April 4, Bailey learned he would be pitching on a mound 86 miles from the Sacramento River Cats' stadium he had originally hoped for. His family bought the MLB TV package and will travel to at least 20 games by the end of the season.

Lori talks to Andrew after every game he pitches in, catching up on sleep during his East Coast swings, when those conversations can occur closer to 11 p.m. than 2 a.m.

His sister Kate has used up all her vacation days to see her brother play and jokes she might just lose her job if the Athletics are in the World Series.

Another proud group, the Wagner College Alumni association, is hosting an event at Club Stout NYC, a gathering to watch the All-Star game. The first round of drinks and appetizers is on Wagner.

And now, five months after driving through St. Louis for the first time this year, Bill Bailey can glance out the window of his 14th-floor hotel room, the magnificent arch framing his view.

"He was the only kid who could get the ball over the plate when he was 7 years old -- that's how he ended up a pitcher," Bill said. "Now this is pretty neat, huh?"