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It’s been a long time coming.

There has been much trial and error in the career of Johan Oviedo, but the St. Louis Cardinals’ young right-hander finally picked up his first career win.

Entering Wednesday’s game trailing 4-3 after Adam Wainwright was chased early, Oviedo went 2.1 innings and struck out three Milwaukee Brewers hitters.

The Cardinals led 5-4 when Oviedo departed the game, and Genesis Cabrera made those runs stand up to seal Oviedo’s first career victory.

After the game, Katie Woo of the Athletic got a chance to speak with Oviedo, and tweeted what he had to say about his accomplishment.

Finally Getting A Win

You have to feel good for Oviedo.

He has struggled a ton as a starter, but finally seems to have found his role in the bullpen.

He threw a few good games last year, but either didn’t get enough run support or was cost his chance due to the inconsistencies of the bullpen.

One example from a year ago is when he threw five innings of one-run ball against the Chicago Cubs on July 20.

The Cardinals entered the ninth leading 6-1, but the Cubs rallied for six runs to shock the Busch Stadium crowd and spoil Oviedo’s chance at a victory.

But last night, he finally picked up that elusive first win, and his response was nice and wholesome.

You know his family will be proud of him after everything he’s been through, having defected from Cuba.

Now, he can sit back and remember this game for a long time.

He finally accomplished something that had been the bane of his existence for so long.

Oviedo’s role has been elevated and now he can celebrate something that had eluded him for a long time.

This article first appeared on The Cold Wire and was syndicated with permission.

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