San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Hall of Famer watches son pitch for S.F.
NATIONALS 7, GIANTS 5
“We’re going to have a good dinner, and I’m going to tell him exactly what he did.”
WASHINGTON — Nobody can analyze a pitcher quite like a catcher. Especially when the catcher is a Hall of Famer and the pitcher’s father.
Ivan Rodriguez was in the house Saturday for the Giants’ 7-5 loss to the Nationals, the first time he saw his son pitch in a big-league game. The results weren’t great, but Pudge was a proud papa.
“I was happy to see him,” Rodriguez said of his son, Dereck, after the game, “and now I’m happy to take him to dinner.”
The younger Rodriguez put the Giants in an early hole, giving up five runs on six hits and three walks before being pulled with two outs in the third inning. When asked about the performance, his father broke it down as a catcher would.
He spoke about mechanics, rhythm, the lofty number of first-inning pitches and how Dereck continued to battle without having his best stuff.
Then he broke into a smile and said, “Maybe he was a little nervous I was there.”
Dereck made his big-league debut May 29 with 31⁄3 relief innings in Denver. He started last Sunday against the Phillies, replacing injured Jeff Samardzija, and pitched six impressive innings of one-run ball in a 6-1 win.
Out of the country when his son debuted, Ivan had a splendid seat Saturday at Nationals Park, five rows behind the plate. It was the first time he saw his son pitch since Dereck made his second start for Triple-A Sacramento in April.
“My flashback was seeing him as a 1-year-old in the clubhouse with me and 26 years later seeing him pitch in the big leagues,” the elder Rodriguez said. “It’s good to see that.
“We all come from a baseball family, and he’s the second one to make the big leagues. I’m happy to see him there. He
Ivan Rodriguez, after watching his son, Dereck, pitch for the Giants
needs to work on a couple of things, but I know he’s going to be good.”
At his locker, Dereck said having his father in attendance was “just like any other game” and called his performance “just one bad outing.” He added, “Just keep on with my routine. I know I’ve got good stuff. I trust myself.”
Dereck plunked his first batter and walked his second, setting up Anthony Rendon’s RBI single, and the Nationals struck for four more runs in the second. Three batters into the third, the call went to the bullpen.
The game had a long way to go, and Pudge (who played his final two seasons for the Nationals) stayed for all 3 hours and 23 minutes, then waited with a few others in his party for Dereck to exit the Giants’ clubhouse.
“We’re going to have a good night,” Pudge said. “We’re going to sit down and talk. We’re going to have a good dinner, and I’m going to tell him exactly what he did.”
Twice, the Giants cut the deficit to one. The last time came in the seventh on Nick Hundley’s RBI double. With two aboard and one out, Mac Williamson and hot-hitting Brandon Crawford, who pinch hit, struck out.
The Nationals pulled ahead 7-5 in the bottom of the inning, and the Giants threatened in the eighth when Buster Posey’s double put two men in scoring position, but Andrew McCutchen popped out to end the inning.
Hundley hit a three-run homer in the third to put the Giants on the board, and McCutchen’s sacrifice fly pulled the Giants to within 5-4 in the fourth. That didn’t last long. In the bottom of the inning, Bryce Harper hit a monster homer off Ty Blach, a towering 437-footer.
For those dreaming of Harper signing a free-agent contract over the winter with the Giants, yes, the ball easily would have cleared the high walls at AT&T Park.
As the Rodriguezes posed for a picture, there were two noticeable differences. Dereck’s height (he towered over his dad) and flowing hair (tied up in the back).
“That’s from the grandpas,” Pudge said of his son’s tall frame. “The hair wasn’t from me, either.”