Levine: Jeff Samardzija Debuts With White Sox
By Bruce Levine-
GLENDALE, Arizona (CBS) -- For Jeff Samardzija, starting for the team he grew up watching was in itself an event Sunday afternoon. The 30-year-old right-hander made his White Sox debut against his former Oakland Athletics teammates.
Going into his free agent walk season, Samardzija wants to do well for any number of reasons, including helping the White Sox get into the playoffs.
"I was just trying to get my pitch count up to around 50,60 pitches," he said of his first spring start. "I was trying to throw all my pitches, and see how you feel the next day."
Samardzija has already made an impact on his new teammates and the coaching staff.
"He really likes pitching, and he is really competitive," manager Robin Ventura said. "He has a way of carrying himself. He is a guy that is good and carries himself in the right way. In the short time he has been here, you get the feeling he is that kind of guy (a leader)."
Like every top-of-the-rotation pitcher, Samardzija does create a buzz on the day he pitches.
"When he pitches, there is a certain feeling that is out there," Ventura said. "That is partly due to his football background and being athletic. He is not just a pitcher, he wants to swing the bat, and it is pretty evident he can do some other things. There is more to him than just being a pitcher."
Whether the White Sox can sign Samardzija to a long-term contract before next November is anyone's guess. Money has never been an issue for this well-grounded and practical Samardzija, who told me recently that the best-case result would be to stay in Chicago the rest of his career. Getting paid is a part of a union- and player-based objective to keep salaries and ownership in line with the $9 billion industry that is Major League Baseball.
On Sunday, Samardzija became the first White Sox pitcher to go three innings this spring, putting him in line to start Opening Day against Kansas City on April 6 in the event ace left-hander Chris Sale can't return from his foot injury by then. Samardzija allowed two runs.
"It was exciting for me," Samardzija said. "It felt like it was Opening Day out there. I just wanted to take a deep breath out there and pound the zone, get that fastball going. It felt good to have that adrenaline going against another team, rather than facing our own guys."
The free agent issue hasn't been anything the friendly, focused pitcher has shied away from.
"When you take a step away from the situation from afar, yeah it is a pretty intense situation," he said. "There is a lot on the line. I like to put more pressure on myself than anything outside can put on you. I like to think what I demand from myself every time out is more pressure than a contract or any career situation is. To me it's about that individual day, having fun out there and enjoying it like it is your last time.I want to learn from it and get better."
The chance to be the Opening Day pitcher for the Cubs one season and the White Sox the next hasn't happened since Jamie Navarro started the opening game for the Cubs in 1996 and the White Sox in 1997. Ironically, Samardzija's first spring start was against Oakland, his last team in 2014, and at the place he made his first-ever spring training appearance. Ho Ho Kam Park is where the Cubs made their spring training home from 1973 until 2013.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.