PHILADELPHIA — Richard Rodríguez could only describe the atmosphere in Estadio Quisqueya as "live." There, in front of nearly 12,000 fans in the heart of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the right-handed reliever used his four-seam fastball and curveball to pitch a scoreless eighth inning for his team, Águilas Cibaeñas, with a championship on the line.
That Game 7 performance helped Águilas clinch the Dominican Winter League crown, and it capped an offseason where Rodríguez sought answers to what ailed him once he reached the major leagues last September.
That mission appears to have yielded results. Rodriguez, a 28-year-old who signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates in December, was recalled by the club from Triple-A last week and has pitched 3 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. The right-hander has provided stability for the club's bullpen, and he credited his offseason with preparing him to succeed upon getting called up.
"It definitely helped me a lot, especially dealing with pressure and focus," Rodríguez said through team interpreter Mike Gonzalez. "When you’re over there in the Dominican Republic and you can compete for teams like the Águilas, the stadium is packed, the atmosphere is loud. If you can’t have a prepared mindset or a focus under that pressure then you’re going to struggle up here. That helped me prepare for situations up here."
Rodríguez looked prepared against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings with a career-high six strikeouts. With the Pirates trailing, 7-0, Rodríguez entered in the sixth inning with two runners on and got Odubel Herrera to ground into an inning-ending double play. Then, Rodríguez struck out three batters in the seventh inning, challenging J.P. Crawford with a high four-seam fastball for a swinging strike three to end it.
He stuck out three more batters in the bottom of the eighth. It was in stark contrast to his debut with the Orioles last fall, when he allowed nine earned runs on 12 hits, including four home runs, for a 2.54 WHIP in 5 2/3 innings. Rodríguez had pitched seven years in the minor leagues, including nearly four full seasons in Triple-A.
"He’s had to show some grit, some resolve," Hurdle said. "The numbers were hard last year. ... To go home, to honestly self-evaluate and I think just as importantly, whether it was his agent, whether it was him, whether it was word of mouth, to find a place where he felt he could grow and have a real opportunity. ... He continued to pitch in winter ball every game for like three weeks. We’re going, ‘Wow, this is nuts.’ Every time we’re picking up a box score this guy’s pitching. There is worth and value in playing winter ball and for him at that time it was about survival. It was about going down, making pitches, getting outs."
Rodríguez chose to pitch for Águilas for a fourth time; however, this was the first time he impacted a championship run. He pitched 21 1/3 innings, allowing 10 earned runs with 30 strikeouts to only two walks. Then, he pitched 15 innings during the postseason — the most among the league's relief pitchers — with 23 strikeouts to three walks.
Rodríguez used the opportunity to work on fastball command and to improve his breaking ball. Neither was effective enough once he finally reached the major leagues last fall, but his progress reached new heights once he reported to spring training. With the help of Ray Searage, Rodríguez fixed his mechanics to get more downward angle on his fastball.
It's allowed him to better command the pitch, particularly low in the zone, but it's also created more spin on the pitch, which made it difficult for the Phillies to track.
“Ray was able to identify [the problem],” Rodríguez said. “From there on, I was able to fix and tweak, and fix some of my mechanics. He was able to fix and identify those things, and I noticed a great leap in helping make sure I was hitting the zone. … Not very big issues but body issues. Leaving my arm too high and making sure I adjust the arm angle to produce hitting the zone where I need to hit it.”
The six-strikeout performance created some confidence, Rodríguez said, but it isn't the reason why he's felt at ease since joining the Pirates in Miami last Friday. Once he arrived, Rodríguez had an entrance meeting with Hurdle and the staff, where Hurdle wanted to reassure the recent call-up that he belonged in the major leagues.
Beyond the strikeouts, Hurdle has been impressed with Rodríguez's fearlessness on the mound. Rather than trying to strike out hitters — which Rodríguez did 80 times at Triple-A Norfolk last season — his focus is now on pitching to contact.
"He’s throwing pitches, he’s throwing strikes," Hurdle said. "He’s challenging guys maybe more so than he ever did before. That, as much as anything, guys pitch away from the bat for so long to try that way to get to the big leagues. That doesn’t work, man. Force contact and see what happens."