In the bottom of the 12th of Wednesday’s game against the
Washington Nationals, Florida Marlins relief pitcher and Hollister
resident Daniel Barone sat in the dugout with a smile on his
face.
In the bottom of the 12th of Wednesday’s game against the Washington Nationals, Florida Marlins relief pitcher and Hollister resident Daniel Barone sat in the dugout with a smile on his face.
After pitching a scoreless top half of the 12th in a 4-4 game, Barone watched teammate Todd Linden hit a ball up the middle.
If it got through, Reggie Abercrombie would be able to score from second base.
If it got through, Barone would get his first Major League win.
“It was like, ‘get through! Get through!'” Barone said on Thursday. “If it got through, we got the win, and it worked out. I can’t complain.”
A 2001 graduate of San Benito High School, Barone was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on Aug. 8, and got his first Major League win on Wednesday night out of the bullpen.
Barone (1-2) was the seventh pitcher the Marlins used on Wednesday, and although the contest went over the 4-hour mark, the Hollister product came into the game not a moment too soon.
“It’s awesome, it’s exciting. I’m speechless,” Barone told the Associated Press after Wednesday’s game. “It was one of those games where I knew everyone would get in there. We got it done.”
Barone pitched his first game as a starter on Aug. 10 against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. He received a no-decision in the outing, though he did strike out leadoff hitter Jose Reyes, which Barone said at the time was “unbelievable.”
After a few more starts on the mound, Barone was placed into the bullpen for relief work. Since Aug. 29, Barone has pitched 13 innings out of the ‘pen, struck out five, allowed eight hits and just one earned run.
Although he said his job out of the bullpen is to simply keep the team in the game, he does have a goal of reaching 10 wins on the season with teammate Rick VandenHurk, who currently has eight. With one win in Double-A Carolina, seven wins in Triple-A Albuquerque, and now one win in The Show, Barone sits one win away from reaching his goal.
“I try not to think about the wins and losses too much,” Barone said. “It’s nice to win, but if you’re coming out of the bullpen and keeping your team in it, you’re doing your job.”
It is a different mindset, he said, as starters are asked to pace themselves, whereas relievers can go all out.
With 13 innings pitched and just a run allowed, Barone seems to be doing just that.
“In the bullpen, you get to blow it out for one inning,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what they have me do. I’m just enjoying the time.”
Of course, with a 162-game schedule, there is little time for celebrating. Despite Wednesday’s Big League win, Barone was driving to the airport Thursday for a scheduled three-game series this weekend in Colorado.
After the game Wednesday, though, Barone received congratulatory remarks from his teammates.
No champagne. No all-night parties. Nothing special.
He just went home and hung out with teammate and roommate Scott Olsen.
“It was a big deal for me, but everyone congratulated me,” he said. “I had a beer and that was it … Just another day.”
