Dugan Darnell’s major league debut was perfect.

The 28-year-old relief pitcher entered a game that appeared hopelessly lost. Yet, when all was said and done, he’d won. It was the story of his baseball career — told in two innings.

When the undrafted right-hander strolled to the mound at Coors Field to Eminem’s “Square Dance” in the eighth inning on Aug. 1, few took much notice. The Rockies trailed the Pirates, 16-9. Many in the crowd of 36,030 had drifted off into the sweltering Friday night. But in the Rockies’ family section, a dozen fans lived and died with every pitch.

Darnell’s parents, Dan and Mary Lou, were there. So was his brother, Grady, and assorted aunts and uncles. When his fiancée, Emily Tatge, heard “Square Dance” blare through the speakers, she got goose bumps.

Darnel

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