John Rooney, a 2015 graduate from Hoosic Valley, received two important calls on Sunday in his baseball journey, the first being a call to the big leagues by the parent club Houston Astros, the second a wave of the left hand by Astros manager Joe Espada signaling to bring Rooney into the game in the sixth inning at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

The big left-hander walked the first batter he faced before ending the frame by striking out Dylan Beavers. In the seventh Rooney retired the first two batters he faced the allowed a solo homerun before ending the inning with a punchout of Colton Cowser.

Rooney, wearing number 67, threw 23 pitches, 14 for strikes in his 1.1 innings of work.

Houston dropped a 3-2 decision to Baltimore on Sunday but currently lead the American League Western Division by a game and a half with a season mark of 72-59.

Let’s hope the former Hoosic Valley star can be a key contributor for Houston as they battle for a play-off spot with 30 games remaining in the regular season.