Sssshhhh!
It's not well known, but Brad Kilby's name has been associated with HGL.
However, the River Cats left-handed relief pitcher isn't in danger of testing positive for an illegal substance. He's been dubbed by his teammates as the Home Grown Lefty.
Kilby grew up in Elk Grove, and attended Laguna Creek High School and San Jose State before the A's selected him in the 29th round of the 2005 June draft.
After minor league stops in Vancouver, Kane County (Ill.), Stockton and Midland, the 25-year-old who was rooting for the River Cats long before most of his teammates had even heard of the club returned home in 2008.
So, it's possible none of his partners have as much pride and desire as Kilby, who has been coming to Raley Field since he was a youngster.
Tonight, Kilby and the River Cats will host the Salt Lake Bees in Game 1 of a best-of-five Pacific Coast League playoff series.
"I used to come here when I was in junior high school and see Mark Mulder and Barry Zito and Tim Hudson," said Kilby, who's 7-2 with a 3.47 ERA in 51 games in his first Triple-A season.
"This is a place I always wanted to play. For me, being here Opening Day was overwhelming. There was such a big crowd here. I think I bought about 30 tickets, and since then there's always been somebody I know here at every game."
Moreover, Kilby says, there always could be more of his childhood friends and competitors playing at Raley.
"Back in the day," he said, "as good as people may have thought I was, there were quite a few guys who were just as good as I was or better. Some of them may have given up on their dream a little too early or may have had to give it up for one reason or another."
Kilby doesn't have to look too far or hard to know why he has persevered.
"If I didn't have my parents," he said of Dave and Kim Kilby, "I doubt I'd have been able to hang. They have supported me at every level."
But don't misunderstand. As fond as Kilby is of Raley Field, he hopes to get that call to head west on Interstate 80 to Oakland.
"I think that's why we're all here," said Kilby, whose first love of baseball was swinging a bat and playing the field. "The ultimate goal is to reach the major leagues. If (the A's) brought me up, I'd be ecstatic."
Kilby, who hit .522 as a senior outfielder at Laguna Creek, said he became a pitcher at San Jose State because the team's No. 1 and 2 pitchers were hurt during winter ball.
"I led the team in most of the categories, but I still liked batting leadoff and playing center field," he said.
While at San Jose State, Kilby tried to stretch a single into a double and ended up with a partially dislocated right shoulder, a broken nose and another career direction.
"And I was out, too," he said. "There was blood everywhere. After that, I pretty much have been pitching."
Kilby has an impressive streak as a professional.
"My team has made the playoffs every season, and there's nothing like it," he said. "The intensity and focus (are) something special. The games can turn on one pitch."
Call The Bee's Martin McNeal, (916) 326-5504.
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