By JEFF DEWEES
The York Revolution welcome an old friend back with the return of right-handed pitcher Wayne Franklin to the team, after a short-lived stint in Taiwanese baseball.
Franklin rejoined the ballclub this past weekend in Long Island. He is scheduled to start Wednesday night’s game at Sovereign Bank Stadium against the Camden Riversharks.
An original Rev and a former major leaguer, Franklin last pitched for the team May 15 before accepting an offer to pitch in Taiwan.
He didn’t exactly say so, but between the erratic scheduling (Taiwanese teams play an average of three nights a week), scripted crowd reactions – “the biggest difference,” Franklin said -- and the food, it sounded as though Franklin left his baseball heart stateside.
“It was conflict of interest, basically,” Franklin said. “Nothing personal but I thought I’d be best suited to come back here. I made my impression over there. But I thought it was best for me to come back here."
Franklin asked for and was granted his release from his Taiwan baseball contract, then initiated contact with Adam Gladstone, York’s Director of Baseball Operations.
“I called Adam,” he said. “He’s the only guy I thought I could call. I knew he was the guy who signs players.”
In his first tour of duty with the Revs, Franklin was 2-0 with a 7.04 earned run average.
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