Hollister’s Barone talks about his first Major League start and
trip to the bigs
Twenty years ago, Daniel Barone was playing T-ball. Today, he’s
a starting pitcher for Major League Baseball’s Florida Marlins.
”
I haven’t stopped smiling yet,
”
said the 24-year-old right hander from Hollister, who was called
up from the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Marlins Triple-A club, on
August 8.
”
It’s a dream come true. That’s what it is.
”
Hollister’s Barone talks about his first Major League start and trip to the bigs
Twenty years ago, Daniel Barone was playing T-ball. Today, he’s a starting pitcher for Major League Baseball’s Florida Marlins.
“I haven’t stopped smiling yet,” said the 24-year-old right hander from Hollister, who was called up from the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Marlins Triple-A club, on August 8. “It’s a dream come true. That’s what it is.”
Barone made his first Major League start just two days later on Aug. 10 at Shea Stadium against the New York Mets, where he picked up a no decision against a team that’s known for its powerful hitting lineup.
With his parents, grandparents and girlfriend sitting right behind home plate among the crowd of some 38,000, Barone got things started by striking out the first batter he faced, all-star Jose Reyes.
“I wasn’t nervous at all. I was anxious more than anything,” Barone said. “I just wanted to get things started.”
For Barone waiting for his start to get under way seemed like an eternity. After being called up to the Marlins, Barone was flown the night before to New York via Chicago where his connecting flight sat on the runway for a 3.5-hour delay – a delay that was so long, it prevented him from meeting his teammates the night before.
Despite the travel problems it being his debut in the Majors, Barone pitched respectably. He went 4 and 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and just two earned runs.
“The hitters are a lot more patient up here,” Barone said. “They sit and wait for their pitch. When they have a 0-2 count, they’ll just foul balls off and wait you out until they get the pitch they want to hit out of the park.”
In all, Barone struck out four batters, and didn’t allow a single run until the fifth that was a direct result of a throwing error by Florida second baseman Dan Uggla, which was followed by a bunt single and a three-run homer by Carlos Beltran to right field.
“When I came out of the game, my coaches told me that I did a great job and felt that I might have stayed in the ballgame a little longer had the error not occurred. My pitch total was pretty high, too, though,” Barone said. “My biggest thing that I was focusing on was to throw first-pitch strikes. I knew that I’d have a good game if I could do that. I was hoping to get through the first five innings. That was a great lineup I was facing.”
Barone was called up after putting up strong numbers with Albuquerque where he went 7-0 with a 4.09 ERA in 10 starts after being promoted from Double-A Carolina in June. He owns a career record of 23-16 with a 3.72 ERA in the minors.
“It still really hasn’t hit me,” said Barone, who graduated from San Benito High School in 2001. “I can’t believe I’m here. It was weird to come back after the game and flip on the TV and watch my game. I’m still in awe of it all.”
Barone made his second start at home last night after press time against the Arizona Diamondbacks – meaning that he will miss the chance to pitch against the San Francisco Giants, which are in Florida this weekend.
“I wanted to pitch against the Giants so bad,” said Barone, who grew up watching them.
Against the Diamondbacks, it was expected that Barone would pitch against a hometown crowd of only about 10,000 – a number less than some of the crowds he saw at the minor league level.
“I heard they don’t get too many fans here,” Barone said.
They may not get them in Florida, but Barone can rest assured he has plenty watching and rooting for him in Hollister.
“I want to let everyone at home know how grateful I am for all of the support I have received. I just want to say that.”
