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"Oh my God, baby, I am so proud of you!" Beth's voice had reached a high pitch that would have embarrassed her if she could have heard it the way I did.
"It's probably only temporary, honey," I said. "They have some pitchers on the DL....We have some pitchers on the DL."
I had to remember. I was now a San Diego Padre.
"I don't understand how all that works, Bobby."
"The thing is, Beth, when these guys come back from being injured, the Padres have to pay them an MLB salary. I am still on a minor league contract. So, to make room for them, I'll end up being sent down first."
"Oh...."
So crushed she was.
"But, for now, I am on the 40 man roster. And, we'll just take it one day at a time."
I much preferred starting to relieving. As a starter, you know what days you will pitch and can plan your day and get into your game day routine.
As a reliever, you could end up on the mound at any time in any game.
Of course, I've had more than one occasion where I ended up doing that as a starter my first two years in the minors.
Adaptability was important there.
The Sporting News released its Top 100 Prospects again and I had moved up to number twelve on the list.
Opening Day.
And we were just destroying the Giants.
Dave Dravecky was cruising on all cylinders. The bats were beating the ball all around Candlestick Park.
"James. Warm up."
What?
It was the top of the sixth inning and we were leading 7-0.
Dravecky had only given up a pair of hits.
On through the seventh inning stretch and Take Me Out To The Ballgame.
The most annoying sports song in history.
"You're in, James."
It was the bottom of the eighth. We were still up 7-0. Most of the 36,780 that had begun the game rooting for the Giants had left.
Still, this is a huge ballpark.
I was in a daze. Just throwing what Benito told me to.
And somehow, three batters later we were headed to the ninth.
"You alright, James?" Santiago asked. "You look white."
"I am twenty years old and pitching on Opening Day in a Major League Baseball game! Yeah, everything is hunky dory!"
I needs oxeyn!
I started to get my bearings in the ninth and struck out their pinch hitter with a full count fastball right down the middle on a big swing and a miss.
"Come on, James, strike them all out!" John Kruk at first base shouted.
"Keep throwing the heater, James," Ken Oberkfell yelled from third as I did the same to Brady Anderson on a swing and a miss at a full count slider right down the middle.
Short stop Ozzie Guillen shouted something in Spanish, I think it was Spanish anyways.
Robby Thompson then swing at a first pitch curveball that was in the middle of the plate and popped it up.
Santiago came out and shook my hand. "They gonna have trouble sending you down if you keep doing this."
We had won 7-0.
Dave Dravecky had pitched seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits while walking two and striking out three.
I had pitched two perfect innings with those two strikeouts.
TV camera crews caught up with Dravecky after the game and talked to him. He looked so cliche', thanking God and his teammates but we knew.
That's who he was.
The humility from him was genuine.
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