PORTLAND, Ore. --- Former Major League pitcher and Washington native Darcy Fast will be the featured speaker at the University of Portland’s 2010 Diamond Dinner, which marks the unofficial beginning to the baseball season. Now in its ninth year, the event has grown and evolved into Pilot baseball’s premier fund-raiser and annual tradition.
“The Diamond Dinner is an opportunity for us to celebrate the beginning of the college baseball season,” UP head baseball coach Chris Sperry said. “It also gives us a chance to recognize and reunite with alumni and supporters of the UP baseball program.”
The Diamond Dinner is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010 upstairs at the Chiles Center on the University of Portland Campus. The event is open to the public and tickets are $60 each or $600 for an entire table of 10. Festivities begin with a social hour and a silent auction starting at 5:00 p.m. Dinner is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the program is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.
After growing up in Olympia, Wash., Fast spent time in MLB as a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. He appeared in eight games and made one start as a 21-year-old during the 1968 season. Fast was regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in the Cub’s organization and he was called up to the big squad with less than one year of professional experience.
Faced with a military commitment in 1969, Fast remained in college and was pitching part-time for the Tacoma Cubs, helping them win the Pacific Coast League championship. That was the year the Chicago Cubs lost a mid-August 9½ game lead to the Miracle Mets. Fast was tagged with the label “The Missing Cub” because he was not available to pitch. The following year he continued his career with the Cubs until he was traded to the San Diego Padres.
After his baseball career and his military commitment in the Army National Guard was completed, Fast accepted a calling into the ministry and has served as Senior Pastor of Centralia Community Church of God since 1979. His story has been featured in many national publications, including the Chicago Sun Times and Sports Spectrum magazine. His book The Missing Cub, a memoir of his baseball career and life’s calling, was published by Xulon Press in 2008.
While a student at North Thurston High School in Lacey, Wash., Fast excelled in football, basketball and baseball. He was selected as a High School All-American basketball player by Del Sports Magazine and was drafted by the New York Yankees as a first baseman in the seventh round of the 1965 MLB draft. Instead of signing a baseball contract after graduation, he signed a national letter of intent to play baseball at Washington State. Fast eventually enrolled at Warner Pacific College, where he graduated from in 1969.
In his second year of college, Fast was drafted in the sixth round by the Cubs. In his first season as a pro, he was selected to the Pioneer League All-Star team, led the league in strike outs, and was promoted to Triple-A Tacoma.
“We’ve had some terrific speakers at the Diamond Dinner and Darcy Fast will continue that tradition,” said Sperry. “Darcy has been a personal friend of mine for several years so that will make this night even more special.”
To purchase tickets or to receive more information, please contact the Portland baseball office at 503-943-7732, or by e-mail at brack@up.edu.
