Professional Career
Owens was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an undrafted free agent in June 2001. In 2004, an elbow injury hampered his performance. As a result, the Pirates left him unprotected and he was selected by the New York Mets in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft.
In 2006, after four years in the Single-A leagues, Owens was promoted to the Double-A Binghamton Mets where he was outstanding as a closer. He compiled 51 strikeouts while allowing only eight hits in 25 innings pitched before his promotion to the major leagues.
He made his major league debut on July 7, 2006, for the New York Mets. He pitched a perfect ninth inning in a 7-3 Mets loss to the Florida Marlins. On November 20, 2006, the Mets traded Owens, along with Matt Lindstrom to the Florida Marlins for lefties Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick. On November 11, 2008, Major League Baseball suspended Owens for the first 50 games of the 2009 season following a positive test for performance-enhancing substances.
Read more about this topic: Henry Owens
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