hiː wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn sˌæn dɪˈeɪɡoʊ, kˌælɪfˈoːɹniə ænd ɐtˈɛndᵻd ɐlˈeɪmdə hˈaɪ skˈuːl wˌɛɹ hiː wʌz vˈoʊɾᵻd ˈoʊklənd tɹˈɪbjuːn nˈɔːɹðɚn kˌælɪfˈoːɹniə pˈɪtʃɚɹ ʌvðə jˈɪɹ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi sˈɛvən.
He was born in San Diego, California and attended Alameda High School where he was voted Oakland Tribune Northern California Pitcher of the year in 1987.