Ex-Knight Bud Norris of Round Rock Starts AAA All-Star Game.
July 15, 2009Astros Prospect Tosses Two Scoreless Innings for Pacific Coast League
![Ex-Knight Bud Norris of Round Rock Starts AAA All-Star Game.](images/news/bud_news.jpg)
Houston Astros top prospect Bud Norris (pictured in the bullpen at PGE Park) of the Round Rock Express made his return to Portland to start the AAA All-Star Game for the Pacific Coast League.
Norris pitched for the Aloha Knights (then located in Gresham, Oregon, a suburb of Portland) in 2005.
Bud went 7-1 and struck out 75 over 66 innings pitched while posting a miniscule 1.09 ERA that summer for the Knights and earned first-team All-West Coast League honors.
The right-hander from Cal Poly and Tommy Hanson of the Atlanta Braves were the team's #1 and #2 starting pitchers.
Bud pitched two hitless innings and struck out two International League All-Stars before a sellout crowd at PGE Park as the IL beat the PCL 6-5.
Norris (3-8, 2.64, 107 strikeouts) continues to impress and is likely to be called up to Houston this season.
Three ex-Knights have made their Major League debuts this summer including Bobby Scales of the Chicago Cubs, Tommy Hanson of the Atlanta Braves and Marc Rzepczynski of the Toronto Blue Jays.