A long time coming for E-Rod
‘Feels chills’ before first action in almost a year
As Eduardo Rodriguez was getting ready to pitch Friday against the Rays, he was feeling some butterflies. This was anything but a regular spring training start.
The Red Sox left-hander was warming up with catcher Christian Vazquez by the bullpen at JetBlue Park when the gravity of the moment hit him.
“I told him, ‘Bro, I feel chills, I feel all that right now. Like I’m making my MLB debut right now,’ ” Rodriguez said. “He told me, ‘No, don’t worry, that’s part of it.’ I feel that every start but today was a little bit more exciting.”
It was a long time coming. The last time Rodriguez pitched in a game before Friday was March 11, 2020. The next day, a global pandemic forced spring training to shut down and ultimately the season to be delayed. Rodriguez then tested positive for COVID19 and was later diagnosed to have myocarditis, ending his 2020 season before it began.
The next seven months of recovery and complicated rehabilitation led to Friday’s moment, as Rodriguez made his spring debut in front of a crowd at JetBlue Park that included
his wife and two children. The lefty pitched 2M innings before leaving to a standing ovation.
“It means everything,” Rodriguez said. “After everything that happened last year, all the things, the way that I was feeling, all the workouts that I do this offseason. … After everything I went through, I just feel really happy to be back here. That’s one of the things I can say.”
Though he admitted the chills before the game and recognized the significance of pitching in a game for the first time in almost a full year, Rodriguez was all business on Friday. From the dugout, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he didn’t notice any extra emotions from the lefty.
“Honestly, the results don’t really matter today,” Cora said before the game.
“I’m just happy he’s going to be on the mound. Just to see him out there is refreshing for everybody. We all know what happened last year. For him to be on the mound is a step towards the right direction.”
The results may not have mattered, but they were still encouraging and yet another significant milestone in his return. Rodriguez was supposed to pitch three innings, but came out with two outs in the third. He threw 48 pitches and his pitch mix was efficient. His fastball sat consistently at 91-92 mph, even topping out at 93 mph in the third inning. He struck out two, walked none and his lone blemish came in the second inning, when he gave up a solo home run to Moises Gomez.
It was as good of a day as Rodriguez could have hoped for. Eventually, the normalcy came back.
“At the beginning, I wasn’t thinking of the results of the game today. I
just was enjoying the opportunity to be back out there,” Rodriguez said. “That’s what I was thinking in the first inning when I went out there when I threw the first couple pitches. Then as the game goes on, that’s when I started throwing the pitches and doing everything back to normal and how I wanted it.
“The fastball command today was good, just elevating the fastball wasn’t there, the changeup was just flat right to the middle of the plate, that’s one of the pitches I need to work on but the rest was there. The cutter was there, the breaking ball was there and I was feeling really good out there, too.”
Friday’s start was further evidence that Rodriguez is recovered and ready for a full season. He and the Red Sox have repeatedly insisted that he’s a full go and thus far, he hasn’t shown anything to suggest otherwise. Though
the Red Sox will certainly stay cautious with him, he isn’t under any restrictions and isn’t being treated differently than any other pitchers at this stage of the spring.
“I was happy that he was able to compete at this level,” Cora said. “More than happy that he went 2M innings. To be able to compete, to repeat his delivery. The good thing about Eddie is that it’s very simple with him, delivery-wise. Like I used to tell you guys in ’19, he’s a guy we can trust that he can go deep into games and his pitch count can get up there. Today was a good start. Although he pitched two innings in a simulated game a week ago. To go out and compete this way, it was good.”
With less than a month to go until Opening Day, everything is going in a positive direction for Rodriguez. If it stays that way, he could find himself taking the ball at Fenway Park
on April 1 against the Orioles.
“I will say I’ll be 100% ready for any time AC gives
me the ball,” Rodriguez said. “I’ll be 100% ready. Any game. One, two, three, four, five, I’ll be 100%.”