Signed 30 minutes before Thursday’s game, first MLB win ‘like a dream’ for UD, Beavercreek grad

»RELATED: Hauschild’s first call-up to major leagues

Hauschild, who was released by Houston on Sunday, figured he'd be headed for Triple-A Buffalo for the weekend until the Blue Jays picked him up. Now, Toronto Jays might have the missing piece it's been looking for in the starting rotation, and Hauschild has a lot of phone calls and text messages to return.

"It's pretty crazy," said Hauschild, who last pitched in the majors on April 19, 2017. "It kind of feels like a dream, just based off my last week. A couple days ago I was just waiting to figure out which team I was playing for. And now I'm in the big leagues. So it's definitely a whirlwind of emotions going through."

Hauschild (1-0) entered the game in the second inning after Nelson Cruz's two-run homer off reliever-turned-spot-starter Tyler Clippard gave the Mariners a quick 2-0 lead in the first. Hauschild put up zeroes for the next six innings while spotting a 90 mph fastball and putting away hitters with an effective slider, limiting the Mariners to four singles and one walk while striking out five.

"Sometimes things are meant to be," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "I thought he did a tremendous job. He threw strikes, he threw anything at any time, which is key to pitch in the big leagues. He looked like he belonged."

Hauschild, whose father Doug is the longtime sports information director at UD, was a 33rd-round pick of the Houston Astros in the 2012 MLB Draft.

»RELATED: Hauschild on Triple-A All-Star team

The right-hander spent his entire career in the Astros minor league system until the Texas Rangers selected him in the Rule 5 Draft in 2016. Hauschild made his major league debut with the Rangers in 2017 and he appeared in four games before being released last April.

Hauschild rejoined the Astros and has spent the last two seasons as a starter for their Triple-A club in Fresno. This season he was 7-6 with a 4.88 ERA in 19 starts. The Astros released him on Monday.

As a senior at UD in 2012, he was 7-3 with a 4.26 ERA.