Don't Rush. Set Your Mind to Pitch. Keep It Simple
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Don’t rush. Set your mind to pitch. Keep it simple“ and stay calm pitch-by-pitch. —Díaz, on his pitching approach ” 2O MARINERS MAGAZINE SUGAR ON TOP Edwin Díaz may have a sweet nickname, but he’s leaving opposing hitters bitter as he rises to the top among Major League closers. By Mike Gastineau Edwin Díaz walked into his home things go,” he remembered his father in Naguabo, Puerto Rico, feeling saying. “They weren’t going to let a mixture of anger and dejection me quit baseball.” combined with the resolve you have when you’re 15 years old and think Growing into the Role you’re the only one who has the world It was a wise decision. Less than a figured out. decade later Díaz is the Mariners closer Earlier that afternoon, his baseball and one of baseball’s bright young coach Alexis Cruz had given him news stars. Given his youth and talent, he is that devastated him. He would no lon- a good bet to eventually pass former ger be an everyday player, but would Mariners closer Kazuhiro Sasaki as the instead concentrate on pitching. Cruz team’s all-time leader in saves. He’s told Díaz that his arm was so good already more than halfway there and that it might be able to get him a long is still doing plenty of things to make way in the game of baseball. But Díaz himself better. was having none of it. One of those things is allowing his “I was a pretty good defensive inner competitive fire to continue to player and a good hitter,” said Díaz. flourish, while at the same time reign- “I wanted to play the outfield, hit and ing in his youthful emotion on the be in the lineup every day. I didn’t mound. (He says the animated side of like the decision.” his personality comes from his mother So, on his way home he made and insists that he can hear her yelling a decision. at him from the stands when she comes “I’m going to quit playing base- to games.) ball,” Díaz announced to his Mom and “In the past, the games sometimes Dad when he walked in the door. He got too fast for him,” said pitching laughed recently as he admitted that coach Mel Stottlemyre. “Things would maybe he didn’t quite have everything slowly escalate and he didn’t have the figured out yet. ability to slow them down. Now, you’ll His father, Edwin, and mother, see him step off the mound, collect Beatrice, counseled him to be pa- tient. “Let’s try it first and see how (continued on page 22) MARINERS MAGAZINE 21 (continued from page 21) When his electric stuff is in the zone, he’s unhittable. His ceiling, his tools and his his thoughts, and get back to making weapons“ are all out of this world. pitches and understanding what he needs to do.” —Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre ” Díaz credits his teammates, particu- larly Félix Hernández, Nelson Cruz and Robinson Canó, for spending time working with him and teaching him “positive things so I can be a better guy.” He’s also studying the game’s master craftsman in terms of closers. “Robbie [Canó] gave me a book about Mariano Rivera,” said Díaz, referring to Rivera’s baseball memoir, The Closer. “And I’ve watched some videos on how he did his work on the mound. He stayed calm regardless of the situation and I’m trying to do the same thing.” Stottlemyre appreciates how Díaz is getting better at walking baseball’s delicate fire-and-ice tightrope. “It’s something we spent a lot of time during the offseason talking about,” said Stottlemyre. “We want him to be that violent go-get-’em Ed- die. He needs to have that adrenaline, but it needs to be controlled.” Mike Zunino, who is usually behind the plate when Díaz is making ninth inning life miserable for oppos- ing hitters, has benefitted from the progress by Díaz in his approach to the game. while now has allowed him to trust in says manager Scott Servais delivered a “I get excited when I see him himself and his mechanics, to settle in short but effective message. making these great strides,” Zunino and not be all over the place when he “He told me I had to flush that said. “He’s often able now to make an gets in a game. It definitely allows me performance and be ready the very adjustment without anyone telling him, to relax and see what he’s doing.” next day because he was going to give which is something that a catcher ap- Díaz doesn’t over-analyze his new me the ball again. I started working on preciates. Being in the closer role for a in-game demeanor. In an extension of that right away.” how he tries to approach pitching he Easier said than done, according Díaz by the Numbers prefers to keep his description basic. to Stottlemyre. (through June 7, 2018) “Don’t rush. Set your mind to pitch. “Especially when you’re young, Keep it simple and stay calm pitch-by- when the game is on the line and 2 – AL Reliever of the Month honors (April 2018, pitch even if I do something bad.” you’ve got the weight of the ballclub July 2017) on your shoulders and you blow it, Handling All Situations it’s really hard to let it go,” he pointed 21 - Major League-leading number of saves (in 24 Díaz also has become better at out. “But the great ones understand save opportunities) moving on after a bad performance. To that you’ll get 40 to 50 chances over be effective over a long period a closer 162 games and every now and then 42.6% - Percent of batters faced (52 of 122) who must be able to deal with setbacks and you’re going to have a bad one. When have struck out against Díaz failures that occur from time-to-time you do, if you can let it go, it’s going to with the game on the line. Díaz’s edu- be more beneficial to you.” 52 - Strikeouts of 122 batters faced, most among cation in that reality began the night he The words look good. They sound AL relievers blew his first save. right. But Stottlemyre cautions that He assumed the closer role for experience alone dictates whether a 73 – Career saves, 4th-best all-time among Seattle in August 2016 and promptly guy can handle the pressure role at the Mariners pitchers converted his first 11 save opportuni- end of the game. .14O – Batting average of opposing hitters (15-for- ties. On his 12th try, he gave up a 107) two-run, game-losing home run to Rougned Odor. After the game, Díaz (continued on page 24) 22 MARINERS MAGAZINE (continued from page 22) Eddie has developed that killer instinct. He wants the ball at the end of the game no “We can line out a perfect roadmap matter“ what happened the night before. for him and tell him how you should react to different situations, but you’re —Mike Zunino ” never going to really learn it until you get your butt kicked. He needs to learn that part of the game on his own.” Stottlemyre smiled when told that Zunino thinks that has happened. Díaz is patterning what he does after “Eddie has developed that killer Rivera. Stottlemyre’s father, Mel Sr., instinct,” he said. “He wants the ball spent a few years with the Yankees at the end of the game no matter what coaching Rivera and the younger happened the night before.” Stottlemyre remembers his dad always One point Stottlemyre emphasizes used the same word to describe the with Díaz is to use his fastball to get game’s all-time saves leader. into good counts against hitters, be- “He always described [Rivera] cause when he falls behind he tends to as steady,” said Stottlemyre. “When overuse his slider. It sounds simple, but Mariano Rivera came in, you knew it takes guts to throw a strike with the what you were going to get from him game on the line. Stottlemyre says it’s every night.” an area where Díaz has improved. “Eddie has great stuff but he’s Keeping Grounded still going through that transition Díaz remains connected to Puerto of becoming a pitcher. There’s good Rico despite pitching in a city that misses and bad misses and I’ve looked is thousands of miles away from his at his misses this year and they’re home. He was part of the charismatic so much more refined. Last year, the Puerto Rican team that reached the game would get fast and he would just World Baseball Classic finals in 2017. throw and spray the ball. He has really The team’s celebratory style, and the because I’m representing all of Puerto learned what he wants to do. He’s fact that they made it to the champi- Rico. They love me and I love them, so starting to understand hitters and what onship game against the U.S., ignited I want to do positive things for them.” their approach to him is their second baseball pride on the island that has He’s also remained close with the and third time seeing him and that’s produced more than 200 Major Leagu- coach who spotted his talent and po- making him a better pitcher.” ers since 1942.