Baseball / VBL Teammates Contribute to World Series Title

VBL Teammates Contribute to World Series Title

Date:  Source: Valley League Baseball

Former Valley League teammates celebrated a World Series championship in very different roles, as the Houston Astros took home the most recent MLB title.

2011 Woodstock River Bandit Chris Devenski was one of the Astros’ key relievers this season. His Woodstock teammate, Derek Vigoa, is the club’s Senior Manager of Team Operations.

Devenski’s rise through the professional baseball ranks was a fast one. At the beginning of July 2014, he was in Single-A with the Lancaster JetHawks. Less than 15 months later, he threw seven one-hit innings and was the winning pitcher for Fresno in the Triple-A National Championship.

Devenski is 12-9 with five saves, a 2.38 ERA and 204 strikeouts in two seasons in the Houston bullpen.

He made 10 postseason appearances in the Astros’ run to the championship, getting the win decision (in extra innings) in Game 2 of the World Series and striking out Yasiel Puig with a runner on third base in a Game 7 appearance.

Devenski made six starts and eight appearances in his summer with the Bandits, going 2-2 with a 2.50 ERA and 53 strikeouts.

Vigoa, pictured above with the World Series trophy, was a shortstop for three seasons with the Bandits. He played baseball in the Ivy League for the University of Pennsylvania. His various duties with the Astros have included directing transportation and serving as a translator for Spanish-speaking players.

Houston’s 2017 roster also featured former Staunton Brave Will Harris, who threw two shutout innings in the World Series, and Haymarket alum Tyler White.