Along with his first journey to New York as a giant league pitcher imminent, Hayden Birdsong is wanting ahead to embracing the vibe that’s Yankee Stadium.
A local of Mattoon, Illinois, Birdsong was keen on the Chicago Cubs.
“I never grew up a Yankees fan,” Birdsong mentioned earlier than the Giants launched into a 10-game journey which begins Friday evening (4:05 p.m.) within the Bronx towards the defending A.L. champions. “It wasn’t one of those stadiums where I was like, `I have to go there one day.’ But now I’m sitting here and we’re going there this weekend and it’s going to be really cool.”
That’s about as a lot of an increase as you’ll get out of the 23-year-old proper hander whose unflappable nature has contributed to a profitable if short-term run as a reliever.
“He’s a pretty laid back kid,” Giants pitching coach JP Martinez mentioned. “Wants the ball, wants to pitch. There’s no real anxiety in his game. It’s pretty comfortable for him to be out there, and any time he comes in, whether it’s starting or relieving, he never wants to come out. That’s a good quality to have.”
The Giants are 9-3 after coming off a 4-2 homestand, rebounding from consecutive shutout losses to the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday with a come-from-behind 8-6 win in 10 innings on Mike Yastrzemski’s two-run splash hit house run.
“It’s going to feel like we’re gone for a month,” Giants supervisor Bob Melvin mentioned. “But it’s on the schedule right now. And I think everyone looks forward to going to places like Yankee Stadium and Philly with some pretty raucous crowds.”
Birdsong will probably be on the prepared for the three-game sequence with Robbie Ray, Jordan Hicks and Logan Webb beginning, in addition to a subsequent four-game sequence in Philadelphia towards the defending N.L. East champions. By the point the Giants get to Anaheim to wrap up the roadie, who is aware of?
Melvin likens Birdsong’s composure to Jesus Luzardo, who was thrust right into a bullpen function and was profitable in pressure-packed, high-leverage conditions with the Athletics in 2019 as a 21-year-old earlier than going into the rotation completely.
“He’s going to starter again, there’s no doubt,” Melvin mentioned. “He’s going to be a high-end starter or us. But the need right now is in the bullpen, and he couldn’t have handled it better.”
It wasn’t how Birdsong anticipated to open the season, however he’s gotten outcomes and is adjusting his mindset to not understanding when his subsequent flip will come.
“I’m here for whatever they need me for,” Birdsong mentioned. “I’d like to start at some point. Hopefully, I will, but if we keep throwing like we are now, we’re going to be tough to beat — especially if we get our bats rolling. Whatever they say, I’ll do right now.”
Birdsong confirmed promise as a rookie, going 5-6 with 88 strikeouts in 72 innings. His massive focus was slicing down walks, and he succeeded wildly in that space throughout spring coaching with no walks and 18 strikeouts in 12 innings. That’s helped in a job the place aggressively attacking hitters is essential. Not solely that, however Birdsong added one other pitch known as a “kick change” that he’s thrown for strikes.
“That was my goal coming into this year regardless, to fill it up early, and that’s what I’ve been doing,” Birdsong mentioned. “I’d say the mindset of coming in is a bit of totally different as a result of I’m making an attempt to come back in and simply get out of the inning as quick as I can so we are able to return up and hit.
“When I’m starting, it’s, `How long can I go?’ and how can I make sure I’m not throwing too many pitches so I can go six, seven, whatever it is.”
Melvin suspects even Birdsong will really feel the custom as a first-timer at Yankee Stadium.
“It’s a lot of fun. It gets your attention,” Melvin mentioned. “You’re doing (batting practice), you’re going to see all the championships and the propaganda. You walk around the park and it’s the Yankees, the World Series, you start to embrace what’s happened to the New York teams that have been there and what the Yankees are all about. And that should inspire you to play good baseball.”
Giants reliever Lou Trivino skilled the last word baseball tradition shot in 2022 when he was traded to the Yankees from the Athletics. He was 1-2 with a 1.66 earned run common in 25 video games in New York earlier than needing Tommy John surgical procedure on his proper elbow which stored him out till this season.
“I had a great time there,” Trivino mentioned. “Obviously there’s a big difference between the Yankees and the A’s organization and the Coliseum in Yankee Stadium. But I really enjoyed myself in New York. Of course it didn’t turn out the way I wanted with injuries and setbacks and whatnot.”
The Giants have but to make a roster transfer and haven’t deviated a lot when it comes to their beginning lineup, a stark distinction to underneath baseball czar Buster Posey versus his predecessor Farhan Zaidi.
“We’re getting into a rhythm and that’s good, but also we’re showing how much we care about pitching and defense and we’re prioritizing that,” Yastrzemski mentioned. “Preventing runs from scoring is huge, and the consistency of being on the field and in the rhythm of the game gives us a chance to settle in.”
The way in which the homestand ended, with Yastrzemski’s splash hit walk-off in a sport the Giants trailed 6-1, solely added to the great emotions.
“This is an unbelievable group, and even in the last two games when we weren’t scoring runs, we’re still having fun,” Yastrzemski mentioned. “We’re smiling and we’re not letting it affect us. You see how hard it is to win a big league game and we need to enjoy it every time we do. It’s a nice little reminder to keep fighting for it.”
Employees author Justice delos Santos contributed to this story
