As we've known all along, I'm new to this bullpen thing. I think I've pitched in relief less than 10 times in my career, and that includes the 2000 Series Championship when I came out and pitched the last three innings of Game 7 on zero days of rest (let me just add how I won Game 6 and pitched 7.2 innings - ahh, the glories of a youthful arm).
You see baseball from a different perspective in the outfield, behind a big fence. You're not as close, like if you're watching from the dugout. And the TV isn't as good as in the clubhouse, should you slip back there during a game for a beverage or a bathroom break. It's all different, but that doesn't make it bad.
Billy Weston has been this team's closer for three years (this being his fourth). I know saves aren't as big a deal to loads of people because most come after only one inning of work, but the fact that Billy has averaged 39 saves over his time here still says something about how well he's pitched his one inning per game.
Nobody expected him to get hurt two weeks ago, especially him. He owned this bullpen due to his dominance. From what I'm hearing, he won't be back for up to four months.
Billy had a a bunch of superstitions whenever the call came for him to start warming up.
First, if he was sitting, he had to get off of his butt and take a first step with his left foot.
He had to carry his glove in both hands and make it to the bullpen mound (not the rubber) within 8 steps. In some stadiums, where the mound is farther away from where the relief pitchers sit, Billy had to take 8 very large steps. When he tweaked his hamstring in 2006, it was a result of one very large step, some damp ground and a slip.
He had to brush his left foot over the entire topping of the bullpen pitching rubber and then take three long, deep, cleansing breaths before asking, in Spanish, for the bullpen catcher to throw him the ball. "Pelota," he'd say.
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