Jonny Gomes fully embraces first career relief appearance against Yankees
Position player pitching appearances have become such a regular part of baseball this season, we probably haven’t appreciated some of the performances — both pitching and entertainment wise — to the fullest extent.
That wasn’t a problem though when Atlanta’s Jonny Gomes took the hill in their 15-4 loss against the Yankees on Friday night. Gomes embraced his first career relief appearance from the time Freddi Gonzalez told him to warm up to the moment he danced off the mound after striking out Yankees reliever Bryan Mitchell.
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It was, in a word, glorious.
It all began with Gomes’ entrance. When the bullpen gate opened, Gomes jogged to the hill like a confident reliever with some pep in his step. Of course, his confidence was immediately challenged when Chris Young greeted him with a home run. However, after first being taken aback, Gomes simply tipped his cap, collected himself and moved on.
Err, well, something kinda close to Luis Tiant. Or maybe that wind up is juat a Jonny Gomes original? These are the questions we’re left to ask.
Gomes did run into more trouble in his outing, allowing back-to-back doubles to John Ryan Murphy and Brett Gardner. But we can’t just focus on the negative. We have to focus on the positive as well, and most would agree Gomes’ pace was outstanding.
As an outfielder, Gomes knows what it’s like to stand around and wait… and wait…. and wait for a deliberate pitcher to throw. Gomes wasn’t going to do that to his outfielders.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about Gomes appearance was his efficiency. He threw 12 of his 20 pitches for strikes, which isn’t half bad, but none were better than his final one.
Granted, that was Yankees reliever Bryan Mitchell at the plate. And yes, home-plate umpire Dana DeMuth may have expanded the zone slightly. But come on, he dropped that right where Chrstain Bethancourt wanted it. It was a pitcher’s pitch with a genuine reaction, which far too often gets criticized when a regular pitcher does it.
Happiness is allowed out there, folks. As is fun. And despite the score, no one was having more fun than Gomes or the Braves who stuck around until the end.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
