Much has been made about the lack of offensive output from the Pirates offense this year, but with the toughest schedule in the league for the first month of the season, what has kept the Pirates treading water at 8-10 has been the performance of their pitching staff. The staff currently owns a 2.58 ERA, second only to the Washington Nationals in baseball. While the starting pitching has played a huge role in this, the bullpen seems to get overlooked for their work over the course of the first 18 games of the season. On Sunday, Pirates starter Erik Bedard became the first Pirates pitcher to eclipse 100 pitches in an outing this year, so needless to say, the Pirates pen has been overworked early on.
One of the main components to the bullpen has been right-handed pitcher Jason Grilli. Grilli, who was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies last season, has appeared in eight games this season, allowing just three runs and holding opponents to a .154 batting average. While people in Pittsburgh may know Grilli as the eighth inning guy who sets up games for closer Joel Hanrahan, they may not know his story, and how persistence paid off.
Grilli was the No. 4 overall pick in the 1997 draft by the San Francisco Giants and had high expectations surrounding him. Arm trouble and not finding his groove as a starting pitcher, soon made Grilli a journeyman reliever.
“It’s not the ideal snapshot of how I envisioned it,” Grilli said about his career. “Being the No. 4 pick of 1997, I thought I’d be one of these guys looking at their career salaries saying ‘I made close to a bajillion dollars at this point.’ It’s not all about the money, it’s just that the career I was hoping to have, I feel I’m just starting.”
Going into the draft, Grilli was always a starting pitcher, so the move to reliever was an adjustment for him.
“It’s one of those things where I never thought I’d be a relief pitcher prior to 2006 when Detroit made me one,” Grilli said. “I had to relearn how to pitch in the backend of the bullpen again.”
Grilli was getting accustomed to the new role that Detroit Manager Jim Leyland gave him. In 2010, Grilli was in camp with the Cleveland Indians and had a good shot at making the team as a reliever. On March 5, 2010 however, Grilli suffered an injury that he thought may end his career.
“It was pretty much a scary moment, thinking my career is over with the age I was at,” Grilli said. “I saw my career flash before my eyes.”
In an agility drill at spring training, Grilli tore his quadriceps tendon from his knee in what doctor’s told Grilli was the “worst possible injury that could happen to him.” Grilli said he was thankful it wasn’t his arm, but it was a major injury that made it look like Jean Claude Van Dam had a field day with his knee. The Indians took good care of him Grilli said, as they took him to what he considered to be the world’s best knee surgeon Dr. Stedman in Colorado. Dr. Stedman was able to attach the tendon to knee cap and that was a huge reason why he was able to rehab as hard as he could.
Before the surgery, Grilli went through a dark time where he didn’t know if that would be it.
“The Indians put me in a hotel right across from the ballpark and I was all by myself,” Grilli said. “My dad was on his way out to help me because my wife couldn’t lift me up physically. The night I was by myself, I very vividly looked at myself in the mirror at the sink, crying and ready to rip the sink out of the wall. I looked to the to the core of my soul and said ‘Are you ready to do this?’ ‘Do you want to go through this again when no one will be clapping, no one will be cheering.'”
Grilli said that he made a commitment to himself that night that it wasn’t going to end there. That he is far to resilient to stop.
“Resiliency has kind have been the snapshot of my career,” Grilli said. “I’ve played 15 years of baseball and I’m going into my sixth year in the Major Leagues.”
Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle, who managed Grilli in Colorado previously, believes that his resiliency has paid off.
“I’ve got to watch Jason grow over the years,” Hurdle said. “His perseverance, resiliency and determination has paid off. He’s found a rekindled spirit and appreciation for the game. Everyday is a new opportunity. I have confidence in him, our guys have confidence in him and most importantly, Jason has confidence in himself.”
Speaking to Grilli, we talked about how some players may take the opportunity they have to play baseball for granted. Even before his injury, he said he always appreciated the career he had and wanted to prove he could make it.
“I never took this for granted, even with my two arm surgeries,” Grilli said. “I wanted to prove I had what it takes to make it. It was never about the money and trust me it’s nice and you can have a wonderful lifestyle, but it was always more about – for me – baseball was a second religion in my home.”
For Grilli, the appreciation goes further than just the game of baseball. His dad, Steve Grilli, pitched and taught Jason everything he need to know about the game while growing up.
“I grew up with an ex-Major Leaguer in my home and I wanted to be how my dad was. It’s one of those things that it’s pretty sacred in my household. If you love and respect the game it will respect you back. I’ve tried to pay homage to what my dad and the players before me taught me.”
With all that Grilli has gone through, he now finds himself in the prime position in Pittsburgh setting games up for Hanrahan. Even at his age and role he has now, Grilli has wondered how he would succeed as a starting pitcher at this level.
“Who knows man,” Grilli said. “Maybe one day I’ll be able to go out there and try to win 12-15 games. It’s all pitching to me.”
Grilli’s appreciation for the game has shown on his teammates too, on and off the field.
“He’s a fun guy to catch,” Pirates catcher Michael McKenry said.” “He’s very emotional and enthusiastic on the mound. He’s the same way as a teammate also. He always jokes around but also knows when to take that veteran leadership in the clubhouse.”
Rod Barajas, who played with Grilli in the Minor Leagues, said that he sees Grilli as a leader on this team.
“What I’ve seen from him, his ability to throw strikes, the passion that he has and the aggressiveness on the mound, for me, when he comes in, I know we are going to get through a nice inning with him,” Barajas said. “He’s embraced that leadership role in the bullpen and he has that personality where he likes help his teammates prepare and doesn’t take that role lightly.”
As a No. 4 overall pick, you don’t see your career going this way. You expect to be one of the highest paid players and have all the attention come your way. When it doesn’t work out that way, players handle it differently. For Grilli, although this isn’t the way he saw his career playing out, he’s handled it with nothing but class and dignity, the way a No. 4 pick should.
Photo credits: Getty Images
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