Byrd: Getting Back Into Batter's Box Won't Be Easy
CHICAGO (WSCR) For many, the Chicago Cubs' trip to Fenway Park earlier this season will be remembered as the the Cubs' first trip back to Boston since the 1918 World Series. But for Marlon Byrd, at least, the trip will be remembered for one individual pitch.
In the second inning, in the second game of the series, Byrd was hit in the face by an Alfredo Aceves fastball. Byrd has been on the disabled list ever since.
Soon, he'll start his minor league rehab stint and will step back into the batter's box for the first time since getting hit.
LISTEN: Marlon Byrd On The Mully And Hanley Show
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"I've kept my conversations about getting into the batters box short," Byrd said on the Mully and Hanley Show. "You know, I think about it. I'm wondering what that first pitch is going to be like. That first slider that they throw at my hip, am I going to be jumpy? That first fastball that does come at my head again, which will happen, you know, becuase it's baseball, am I going to move like I used to, very slowly? Or am I going to jump out of the way and be jumpy the rest of the at-bat?
"So mentally, I believe it's going to be difficult. I don't think it's going to be that easy. But at the same time, that same fire that I have for playing this game, you know, I'm going to try to trick myself my first game in that batter's box. I might even swing at the first pitch just to see, regardless of where it is, just to see how I feel.
"But it's not going to be easy, and I know that. So hopefully, mentally, I'll be ready."
