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04/09/2008 3:35 PM ET
Breslow didn't give up on big dream
Reliever making a comeback after being released in 2004
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
In six career Minor League seasons, Craig Breslow is 24-16 with a 3.84 ERA. (AP)

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ANAHEIM -- Craig Breslow doesn't know if he'll take part in Wednesday's series finale against the Angels.

That's life as a reliever, and particularly as a situational lefty reliever.

Then again, not knowing when he'll get the call from the Indians' dugout is a lot better than not knowing if he'll ever make it to the big leagues.

Breslow found himself in that position in July of 2004, when he was released from the Brewers' Minor League system. The Yale graduate considered going to medical school and giving up on his Major League dreams, until Matt McCarthy, a college buddy who had made a similar move, offered him some advice.

"If I were you, I'd go to med school," Breslow remembered McCarthy telling him, "if you're comfortable with turning on a game and wondering what might have been."

That conversation spurred Breslow to remain in baseball. He latched on with the Padres, and, almost exactly a year later, made his debut in a game against the Phillies.

But Breslow's debut also taught him about the harsh realities of professional ball. Even though he shut down the Phillies for 1 2/3 innings, he was immediately sent back down to Double-A Mobile.

"I was called up for about 10 hours," Breslow recalled with a laugh. "At the time, I didn't really understand the intricacies of the contracts and [Minor League] options and that kind of stuff. Fortunately and unfortunately, I went up and down the last three years and was in a position this year to get more of an extended look, rather than filling in for somebody for a weekend or a week."

The 27-year-old Breslow, now out of Minor League options, was plucked off waivers by the Tribe just before the end of Spring Training and replaced Aaron Fultz in the 'pen. He's worked two scoreless innings thus far.

"I'm anxious to help out any way I can," he said.

For obvious reasons, Breslow doesn't regret his decision to put off medical school.

"It's one of those things where you're kind of treading water in the lower levels of the Minor Leagues, and you wonder if you might want to be more productive or have a greater service to society by going to medical school," he said. "But at the same time, now that I'm here, if I'm not going to go to medical school, I might as well be doing the extra work to become a better baseball player."

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.