a loss. In his second game, Givens was shelled. "I would have sent him back to the minor leagues if I had somebody else to replace him with", the Brewers' manager, Phil Garner, told the Sporting News. "His problem was he wasn't throwing his breaking ball for strikes. We got him to be more aggressive. He responded. I changed my opinion on him." Givens earned his first major league win on July 16, 1995. "There are a lot of guys who make it to the big leagues despite injuries or a lot of time served in the minors", Givens said shortly after his first big-league win. "It just so happens persistence paid off for me. I'm just very fortunate, with all my operations, I can still throw the ball the way I can." Givens finished his rookie big-league season with a 7–5 record and a 3.95 earned-run average in 19 games. Givens pitched for five more seasons in the majors—in 1996, when he went 3-1 with a 2.86 earned-run average in four games. He had begun the season on a 30-day rehabilitation assignment with New Orleans after injuring his back in his final throwing session at home in Aurora, Colorado the day before he left for 1996 spring training. After his 30-day rehab assignment, Givens unexpectedly ended up staying longer in AAA instead of being promoted to the major leagues. "I was chapped at the time", Givens said of his frustration with not being called up sooner in 1996. "I didn't pitch well the first few games, then I finally got my head on straight." Givens was called up in June and was hit hard in four starts. While at New Orleans in 1996, however, Givens pitched well, going 10–9 with a 3.02 earned-run average. He filed for free agency on October 15, 1996, after he and the Brewers decided to part ways by mutual agreement. After major-league baseball In 1997, Givens signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan. "If you think you're going to be stuck in AAA, you can go make some money in Japan", Givens said in 2005. "It can be pretty lucrative if you do well." Givens ended the 1997 season with a 6-4 record and a 3.10 earned-run average. In 1998, Givens returned to North America, pitching for the Shreveport Captains in the Double-A Texas League. Personal While playing in the minors, Givens operated