No pain, just lessons: Estrada’s at his best
Blue Jays hurler says learning to pitch — and not just throw — ‘makes this game fun’
Toronto Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada has arrived at spring training in great health and brimming with interesting stories.
One of those tales is about a leg injury he suffered in 2012 that resulted in his becoming one of the best finesse pitchers in Major League Baseball. It all happened because of a hit — and not one he gave up.
Estrada, 33, was pitching for the National League’s Milwaukee Brewers in 2012. During a game, he smacked a line drive down the third-base line.
“I thought the guy was going to catch it, but it went right over him,” Estrada explained inside the Jays’ spring training clubhouse at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. “And I stopped, but saw that he missed it and I pushed off and tried turning it up. The next thing I know, I hear a pop.”
Estrada tore a muscle in his right quad. In fact, there is an indentation in his leg where the torn muscle shifted. Because of that, Estrada said, he lost velocity on his pitches, so he had to adjust the way he approached his craft.
“When you’re missing a piece of that muscle, obviously something’s going to drop, and unfortunately it’s been my (velocity),” the 2016 AL all-star said. “But it’s taught me how to pitch. (I understand) that I don’t have to rely on that 95-miles-an-hour (fastball).
“It makes this game fun,” added Estrada, who went 9-9 with a 3.48 ERA last season. “Just trying to locate, and you don’t have to overthrow anything because there’s nothing left, at least for me. What am I doing to do — hit 90 miles an hour?”
Estrada said the need to change speeds and hit his spots really hit home last year in a 9-6 win on July 2 over the Cleveland Indians at the Rogers Centre.
“I think I was throwing 82 miles an hour (on my fastball) because I couldn’t really reach out and finish a pitch,” said Estrada, who dealt with back pain most of last season. “I did OK that game against a tough team (and) that’s when I kind of told myself, ‘If you’re healthy and you’re throwing 82, 83, you can probably still do it.’
“It’s all about location and deception of the pitch, that differential between the fastball and change-up. That’s what I’m more worried about. If I see my change-up close to my fastball, then I’m in trouble. I mean, I don’t want my velocity to drop. I throw slow enough as it is, right? It is nice to get out to the high 80s or whatever, but if it drops — and I know it comes with age — then I think I’m prepared for it.”
Estrada said playing alongside Mark Buehrle in 2015 helped him understand that a pitcher doesn’t need to overwhelm batters with his heat. Estrada said he talked pitching with Buehrle almost every day.
“He’s that guy throwing 83, 84 … and you see how quick his outs are and how well he locates,” said Estrada, who grew up in Sylmar, Calif., but was born in Mexico. “That makes you realize it’s not always about speed. You locate a pitch and you can be really successful in this game. I still need that speed differential. Even then, if you can locate nine out of 10, you’re still going to be successful.”
Estrada said he did much more core work this off-season. Last year he opened the regular season on the DL with a back injury. This year, he feels healthier than he has in a long while.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be at 100 per cent. Back issues, I don’t know if they tend to go away ever,” he said. “But it’s got to a point where I’m not in pain. That to me is 100 per cent. There’s nights I toss and turn, and because of the twisting and stuff, I’ll feel a little ache, but it’s not pain.
“Last year, it was pain. I’m not feeling that this year.”
The starting rotation was one question mark heading into the 2016 season. This year, it’s a whole new ball game, so to speak. The Jays’ starting five is one of the best in the AL, though the Boston Red Sox could argue that with the signing of Chris Sale, they’re right up there. But Estrada said the beauty of Toronto’s rotation — himself, J.A. Happ, Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez and Francisco Liriano — is no one has to be the ace.
“I don’t think we have to rely on one guy,” he said. “Usually every team has that one guy … ‘This guy has to be good.’ We all want to be good and we all kind of do have to be good, but it’s not all the pressure on one person. It makes things a little easier.
“The whole ace term ... whatever. We’ve got five guys that can compete that are really good. We’re all the same. Any one of us can start the first day and feel good about it.”