He may be staying off the roads.

That's fine. The Auburn Doubledays prefer him on the mound.

“I would probably kill someone if I went out driving on the roads here,” said pitcher Josh Wells, an Australia native. “I am definitely not doing that. Luckily I have a host family who can drive me around because that would be a nightmare.”

That is just one of the cultural differences Wells has had to adjust to since being signed by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2006.

“You guys drive on the other side of the road,” Wells said. “Plus there's no kangaroos here. It is a totally different lifestyle, I'm not used to it yet but I could get used to it, it's nice.”

Wells moved to Sydney, Australia, at age 2 and has lived there his entire life until coming to the United States for surgery last year.

“I was born in London,” Wells said. “But I am definitely Australian and I have the boxing kangaroo tattoo on my arm to prove it.”

Another difference is the lack of baseball in his home country.

“There is no baseball in high school in Australia,” Wells said. “We have soccer, cricket and rugby and I played them all.”

Wells did not start playing baseball until five years ago.

“I was playing cricket and really enjoyed it,” Wells said. “Then I got something in the mail about a baseball team and decided to try it out. I took the mound and threw the ball, that was basically how it all started.”

Wells played on until he finished high school in 2005 and took a class in sports training for a year, then he got the opportunity of a lifetime - the chance to sign with a Major League Baseball team.

“Baseball is unusual in Australia,” Wells said. “The competition is pretty low and you basically just play to play. I was playing on a team there in Australia when some scouts came from the states and I guess I got noticed. It is still pretty unreal, it's unbelievable. It is something I have always wanted to do but being as far away as Australia, far away from baseball, I never thought I would get the chance to do something like this.”

Not only did he get the chance of a lifetime but he got it at a young age, 19. After only playing the sport for a couple years, Wells admits he was a little unsure of himself on the field.

“I had no idea how to play at first,” Wells said. “I learned a lot in those first two years. To tell the truth, I used to learn a lot from watching Major League Baseball then.”

One of the players Wells watched and learned from the most was Arizona Diamondbacks' pitcher Randy Johnson.

“I've always liked him,” Wells said. “Although he is left-handed and I am right-handed, he is a lanky guy like me and he has dominated for so long.”

Wells is hoping to dominate on the mound as well, with aspirations of a major league career and hopes of eventually playing with some of the players he has watched for so long, like Johnson. With the success Wells has shown so far on the mound for the Doubledays his dreams may not be that far off. As of Friday, Wells leads the team with a 4-0 record and his 2.66 ERA is second-best amongst starters.

“Right now I am just trying not to do too much and taking it day by day,” Well said. “I am trying to keep (manager Dennis Holmberg) happy and trying to do my job out there of keeping the ball down. This is my first year back from surgery so I am taking it slow.”

Wells was out for 18 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right arm..

“I was a member of the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays last year but I didn't get to play,” Wells said. “Now I am just coming back and I am surprised at how well I am doing so far. I'm not really thinking about it though.”

As for the hot start, Wells doesn't have an explanation.

“I don't know where that came from to be honest,” Wells said. “It was surprising to me to come off of surgery and get back-to-back wins. I have no idea what is next.”

It may be difficult at times for Wells to keep his head in the game being so far away from home, but he's already shown he's making the adjustment quite well.

“I have to call my family at 2 a.m. here, which is 4 p.m. there,” Wells said. “That is a tough thing to get used to. They are hoping to make it up for a game next year, because it is too expensive this year to bring them up. My family does make sure to listen to all my games that I pitch on the radio though, they are very supportive.”