Steven Okert debuts for Giants

KEIZER, Ore. - With a relief outing of two scoreless innings in Tuesday's matchup vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks, Steven Okert became the 91st former Salem-Keizer Volcanoes player to play in the Major Leagues. The left-handed pitcher, who played for the Volcanoes in 2012, struck out two batters and drew a double play.

Okert, a native of Riverside, Calif., was drafted three times, twice while at a community college - both by Milwaukee. After a stint at University of Oklahoma, Okert was drafted in the fourth round by the Giants in the 2012 Draft. After making two appearances in the Arizona League, Okert was transferred to Salem-Keizer.

Debuting for Salem-Keizer on July 8, 2012, Okert made 15 appearances out of the Volcanoes' bullpen and posted an impressive 2.36 ERA. Of his 15 outings with the Volcanoes, 10 of them were scoreless including the final five appearances in a Salem-Keizer uniform.

Okert worked his way up the Giants' minor league system year-by-year. In 2013, he spent the season with Augusta (Single-A) where he posted a 2.97 ERA. In 2014, he split the year with San Jose (Advanced-A) and Richmond (Double-A), combining to feature a 2.11 ERA. Okert spent the entire 2015 season with Triple-A Sacramento, where he had 61.1 innings of work under his belt with a 3.82 ERA.

Okert debuted at AT&T Park on Tuesday, April 19 with his parents in the front row. In a game that Giants went on to lose 3-0, Okert pitched the eighth and ninth frames for San Francisco.

The 24-year old marked Salem-Keizer player No. 91 to reach the major leagues and the second this season behind Joe Biagini, who debuted with the Toronto Blue Jays last week. For a complete listing of all of the former Volcanoes to reach the major leagues, click here.